Physical and structural properties of extra-virgin olive oil based mayonnaise

The purpose of this work was to study the physical and structural properties of mayonnaises made with extra virgin olive oils (EVOO). To this aim, different EVOOs were selected according to their phenolic content along with other vegetable oils, peanut and sunflower, taken as reference. Mayonnaises were characterized by droplet size distribution, microstructure, textural, rheological and sensory properties. The droplet size distribution and microstructural properties of the mayonnaises resulted significantly affected by the type of oil used. Samples produced with EVOO showed lower dispersion level, a more coarse and irregular structure and the lowest consistency and firmness when compared to sunflower or peanut oils. The elastic and viscous modulus G′ and G″, evaluated by rheological measurements, resulted inversely related to the content of polyphenolic compounds.