Oil-water Separation of Mayonnaises and Semisolid Dressings by Freezing and Thawing

Mayounaises and dressings are preferred seasonings, and a variety of such products are available on the market. Six mayonnaises, three salad creamy dressings, one oil-in-water (O/W) type semisolid dressing, and one water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) type semisolid dressing, all of which are commercially available, were frozen at -20 degrees C, -23 degrees C, -25 degrees C, -28 degrees C, and -80 degrees C for specified time periods and then thawed at about 25 degrees C. The changes in temperature of the mayonnaises and dressings during freezing and thawing depended on their types. Oil-water separation was observed after thawing for all mayonnaises, except when rapidly frozen at -80 degrees C. Up to 60 % of the oil phase contained in the dressings separated after thawing, suggesting that thickeners added to the aqueous phase partially suppressed the oil-water separation. The temperature changes and oil-water separation behaviors of the W/O/W type semisolid dressing were similar to those of the mayonnaises.