Production and Application of Lysozyme-Gum Arabic Conjugate in Mayonnaise as a Natural Preservative and Emulsifier

Nowadays demand for food products made by natural sources is rising so fast. In this work Lysozyme (Lyz) was conjugated with gum Arabic (GA) in order to be applied in mayonnaise, at which the presence of both preservative and emulsifier is essential. Interestingly, the Lyz-GA conjugate exhibited improved functional properties and antibacterial activity.

In order to approve the results of this study, the Lyz-GA conjugate was applied to mayonnaise as a natural preservative and emulsifier. Application of the Lzy-GA conjugate in mayonnaise expedited the death rate of both S. aureus and E. coli K-12. The observation proved that conjugations of Lyz with GA increased the spectrum of its application in food products with improved antibacterial activity.

Surprisingly, investigation of emulsion stability and rheological properties confirmed the improved emulsification role of Lyz-GA conjugate with a higher elasticity in the mayonnaise. Mayonnaise including conjugates showed a linear rheological response and shear-thinning behavior. Sensory analysis of the mayonnaise with Lyz-GA conjugate was completely consistent with the commercial one.

Taken together, our results suggest that conjugation of Lyz with GA made possible the application of a natural preservative and emulsifier in food and pharmaceutical industries, whereas Lyz alone does not have a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity or emulsifying properties.