Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant Potential and Antimicrobial Activity of Five Culinary Plants and Their Application in the Design of Prebiotic Vegan Mayonnaises

The present study aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition, antioxidant potential and antimicrobial activity of five culinary plants – bay leaf, rosemary, juniper fruit, pitahaya fruit and black goji berry fruit, and their application as sources of bioactive compounds in development of prebiotic vegan mayonnaises. After the analyses of the plant materials, in the experimental procedure, a low-fat mayon¬naise (30% fat content) without animal products was prepared. The mayonnaise base was divided into three portions – the first portion was kept as a control; the second portion was additionally divided into five parts used for direct addition of 1% agave inulin + 1% ground plant material (bay leaf, rosemary, juniper fruit, pitahaya fruit and black goji berry fruit, respectively); the third portion was also divided into five parts used for incorporation of 10% calcium alginate microcapsules (containing 1% agave inulin + 1% bay leaf, rosemary, juniper fruit, pitahaya fruit and black goji berry fruit, respectively). The obtained mayonnaises were stored under refrigeration conditions (4°С) for 21 days and samples for physicochemical and micro¬biological analyses were taken once a week. The sensory evaluation was performed immediately after the mayonnaise preparation.