Prepare the water phase
Water, salt, sugar, mustard and part of the vinegar. Dissolve completely before moving on.
Sauces
Industrial mayonnaise
It is the same physics as mortadella but cold and inverted: here water encapsulates oil. And there is one number that is not negotiable, because the safety of the product depends on it: pH.
Formulation per 100 kg of product
| Component | Amount | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|
| Refined vegetable oil | 70 – 80 kg | The dispersed phase. It must be neutral and fresh: oil with a high peroxide value ruins shelf life from day one. |
| Pasteurised egg yolk | 5 – 8 kg | The emulsifier. Lecithin from the yolk is what lets water and oil coexist. |
| Water | 8 – 12 kg | The continuous phase. |
| Vinegar (acetic acid) | 3 – 6 kg | Not just flavour: it is the safety barrier. It takes pH below 4.1. |
| Salt | 1.0 – 1.5 kg | Flavour and a contribution to preservation. |
| Sugar | 1 – 3 kg | Balances the acidity. |
| Mustard powder | 0.3 – 0.8 kg | Adds flavour and helps stabilise the emulsion. |
| Preservative (sorbate, benzoate) | 0.05 – 0.1 kg | As permitted by the regulation of the selling country. |
| EDTA | 0.0075 kg | Sequesters metals that catalyse oil oxidation. Tiny dose, large effect. |
Process
Step by step, with the temperatures.
Add the yolk
Add pasteurised yolk to the water phase under gentle agitation. Never raw yolk: Salmonella risk is not taken on industrial product.
Dose the oil
Slow, continuous addition under strong agitation. Addition rate determines droplet size, and droplet size is stability.
Homogenise
Colloid mill to bring droplets below 5 µm. A coarse emulsion separates on the shelf even if it leaves the plant looking fine.
Adjust pH
Remaining vinegar until pH is below 4.1. Measured, not calculated.
Fill
Fill with minimal air incorporation. Trapped oxygen is what turns the product rancid.
| Control point | Value |
|---|---|
| Final pH | < 4.1 (safety critical) |
| Oil on product | 70 – 80 % |
| Target droplet size | < 5 µm |
| Shelf life | 6 – 9 months at ambient |
| Egg | Pasteurised, no exceptions |
| Process temperature | < 25 °C |
Troubleshooting
What went wrong, and why.
Half the craft is reading the defect. These are the ones that keep coming back.
| What you see | What caused it |
|---|---|
| The emulsion breaks | Oil added too fast, insufficient emulsifier or high temperature during processing. |
| Oil separates on the shelf | Under-homogenised: droplets stayed large. Leaves the plant fine and fails at point of sale. |
| Rancid taste | Poor quality oil, no EDTA, or excess air at filling. |
| Pale yellow colour | Too little yolk or low-pigment yolk. Cosmetic, but the consumer reads it as quality. |
| Microbiological risk | pH above 4.1. The only defect on this list that can make somebody ill. |
Frequently asked
What people ask before they start.
Why must pH be under 4.1?
Because below that value Salmonella does not survive in the matrix, and mayonnaise carries no thermal treatment to eliminate it afterwards. That pH is the entire safety of the product. It is measured in every batch with a calibrated meter, never estimated from the formula.
Can mayonnaise be made without egg?
Yes, with soy protein, aquafaba or vegetable emulsifiers, and it is a growing segment. Texture and flavour change, and pH remains just as critical. Legally, in many countries it cannot be called «mayonnaise» without egg: it is labelled as a dressing or mayonnaise-type sauce.
What is the most expensive mistake?
Under-homogenising. It is invisible leaving the plant — the product looks perfect — and shows up weeks later with oil separated on the shelf, once the whole batch has been distributed and the customer sends it back.
Contact
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