Production of Reduced-fat Plant-based Salad Dressing Stabilized with Carboxymethyl Cellulose and Aquafaba

In recent years, plant-based foods have gained substantial momentum around the world. Egg yolk, a key ingredient, is commonly used as an emulsifier in most salad dressings. Aquafaba was employed as an egg substitute in the development of plant-based salad dressings. Additionally, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was incorporated as a stabilizing agent to enhance the emulsion stability of the formulation. The results showed that the control salad dressing (made with egg yolk) and the plant-based salad dressing containing 0.2–0.3 wt% CMC were highly stable with an emulsion stability index (ESI) of more than 90%, and a z-potential of approximately ±30 mV. To develop a healthier, lower-calorie alternative, reduced-fat plant-based salad dressings were formulated by decreasing the oil content and substituting it with chickpea-derived aquafaba. The results demonstrated that the oil used in the formulation could be reduced from 60 wt% to 45 wt% without significantly affecting the ESI. The droplet diameter of the reduced-fat plant-based salad dressing containing 45 wt% oil was significantly smaller than that of the full-fat formulation with 60 wt% oil. Furthermore, Wolffia was incorporated into the formulation to develop a functional salad dressing with enhanced health benefits. Fortification with Wolffia significantly decreased the lightness, redness, ESI, and z-potential of the plant-based salad dressing. However, fortification with Wolffia did not significantly affect the yellowness of the plant-based salad dressing. The research findings could benefit further research efforts focused on the development of alternative health-promoting food products.