Oxidative stability of mayonnaise enriched with aqueous extract of sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa

In recent years, consumers have been increasingly looking for natural foods and alternatives to synthetic food additives. Micronutrients such as polyphenols have gained importance thanks to their antioxidant effect, as well as their natural occurrence in many food sources. The sea cucumber is one of these food species with biologically active compounds thanks to its potential health benefits. The objective of this work was to study the impact of using sea cucumber extracts (SCE) as enrichment to mayonnaise, a widely used food sauce. The hemolytic activity of SCE was evaluated and found to be safe for food use. Mayonnaise samples were prepared and enriched with 0.5% (w/w), 1% (w/w) and 1.5% (w/w) SCE, then stored at 4°C for 30 d. SCE was added to prevent lipid oxidation and to improve the product’s lifetime. The peroxide values of SCE-added mayonnaise samples were lower than those of control mayonnaise. Also, pH and viscosity of the samples were monitored during one month of storage at 4°C. Mayonnaise samples with 1.5% SCE were found to provide effective oxidation protection while being stored. The extraction time of the prepared lyophilized aqueous extracts was also investigated. Samples extracted for 4 h yielded slightly better results than those extracted for 3 h. These findings suggest that sea cucumber extracts are very effective against lipid oxidation with a positive effect as natural antioxidants in mayonnaise.