Ultrasound- and Enzyme-Assisted Protein Extracts From Sprouted Moringa oleifera Seeds as Functional Egg Yolk...

This study investigated the formulation of plant-based mayonnaise through the partial substitution (5%-50%) of egg yolk with modified extracted proteins from sprouted Moringa oleifera (MO) seeds. The protein from MO seeds was extracted using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), enzymatic-assisted extraction (EAE), and their combination, ultrasound-assisted enzymatic extraction (UAEE). Extraction method significantly influenced protein functional properties, with effects on mayonnaise texture, droplet size distribution, color, pH, and emulsion stability. Substitution improved firmness, consistency, and adhesiveness compared with the control, with a threshold at 20% replacement beyond which textural attributes declined. At this optimal level, UAEE mayonnaise matched a commercial benchmark in firmness, consistency, and adhesiveness. Formulations with 5%-10% EAE, 5% UAE, and 20% UAEE exhibited smaller D _4,3 and D _3,2 values, indicating finer droplet size distributions. Color analysis depicted a significant (p value ≤ 0.05) decline in yellowness index as substitution levels increased. The pH of the mayonnaise ranged between 5.04 and 5.47 and increased minimally yet consistently with higher substitution, thus the formulated mayonnaise analogue can be classified as a low-acid food. These findings highlight the potential of sprouted MO seed proteins as a functional ingredient in reduced-egg mayonnaise.