Effect of Partially Replacing Egg Yolks with Ultrasonically Extracted Sesame Lecithin on the Physicochemical and Sensory Properties of Low-Cholesterol Mayonnaise

• Hajar Emad Al-Jamali 1, Laith Fareed Hasan Al-Obaidi2

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ysicochemical and sensory characteristics of the product. Mayonnaise is one of the most important oil-in-water food emulsions, and its traditional formulation relies on egg yolk as the primary emulsifying agent. However, the high cholesterol content of egg yolk has prompted the search for natural plant-based alternatives capable of maintaining product quality while reducing its cholesterol content. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using ultrasonic-assisted lecithin extracted from sesame oil as a partial substitute for egg yolk in mayonnaise preparation, and to examine its effect on the physicochemical, microbial, and sensory properties of the final product.

Lecithin was extracted from sesame oil using ultrasonic technology; the extracted lecithin was then used to manufacture three mayonnaise formulations, in addition to a control sample without any substitution, and three treatments in which egg yolk was replaced with sesame lecithin at ratios of 25%, 50%, 75%. The chemical composition, cholesterol content, pH, emulsion stability, sensory characteristics, and microbiological tests of the resulting mayonnaise were then evaluated. The results showed that increasing the percentage of lecithin substitution led to a significant decrease in cholesterol content compared to the control sample, Emulsion stability also improved gradually with increasing lecithin content, reflecting the high emulsifying efficiency of the phospholipids present in it. pH values were not significantly affected and remained within the appropriate acidic range for mayonnaise.

Sensory evaluation showed that partially replacing egg yolk with sesame lecithin maintained acceptable sensory quality; the 25% replacement treatment achieved the highest acceptability scores among the replacement treatments, with a texture similar to that of the control sample. In contrast, higher substitution rates led to a gradual decline in color, taste, and overall acceptability. Microbial tests also showed no growth of E. coli, Salmonella, yeasts, or molds during the refrigerated storage period, while limited growth of total bacterial count was observed at the end of the 14-day storage period.

The results indicated that sesame lecithin can be used as a natural vegetable emulsifier in mayonnaise preparation and that replacing 25% of the egg yolks represents the optimal level for reducing cholesterol while maintaining the desired ph

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