Low Fat SLIME!

Low fat SLIME!

One of my (many) favourite foods is chicken salad and one of the main components of the dish is mayonnaise.  After going to the local store to pick up the usual ingredients I came across a certain brand that sells low fat mayonnaise, when faced with the choice between eating more or less calories I obviously made the choice any teenage girl would make. This all sounds very trivial but,when I got home I was curious to know how they make low fat mayonnaise that tastes the same and has the same texture. After a long internet search, I realised the extent to my ignorance! And this is why.........

The science behind low fat mayonnaise

Now, normal mayonnaise is about three quarters fat and one spoonful has the same amount of calories as a packet of crisps! However light or low fat mayonnaise has just three percent fat and one spoonful contains the calories of just a couple of crisps. This begs the questions ,how do the companies cut out so much fat? And what do they put in instead? Normal mayonnaise contains vinegar , eggs, mustard......etc.,  the most important ingredient being a whole jug of oil, this gives the mayonnaise its classic thick creamy texture. However when making low fat mayonnaise the companies swap most of the oil for a calorie free option, water. Although this option makes the mayonnaise healthier, the texture becomes runny and thin. Companies still need to replicate the texture that fat gives the normal mayonnaise.  The companies do this in a very special way. When a cabbage starts to decompose, a certain type of slime grows on the surface. This slime is called Xanthan and yes, it is used in your low fat mayonnaise! When added to a little bit of water this slime becomes very thick and is called Xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is

Xanthan (cabbage mould)

a polysaccharide(a carbohydrate whose molecules are made of a number of sugar molecules bonded together)  that belongs to a family of substances known as hydrocolloids(substances that form a gel in the presence of water) this ability makes them very valuable as thickening agents.  This is not enough to make low fat "tasty" ,for that the companies need another ingredient called citrus fibre, it is derived from oranges and is really good at absorbing water. It is capable of absorbing 10 times its weight in water which, when used as an ingredient, helps to make it feel like fat.  The companies then use another thickening agent called starch. All these added together, plus the normal ingredients make low fat mayonnaise.

Round up:

After all that stomach churning information, I have decided to use less real mayonnaise instead of low fat mayonnaise. I don't know what worries me more, my ignorance towards the preparation of my food or the extent to which it is processed. However this article's main purpose is not to put you off eating low fat mayonnaise, instead this article is simply asking you to be curious about what you eat. Don't just take everything at face value, if you dig a little deeper you might find out something unexpected. After the horse meat scandal in England I think it is time to be sceptical about the companies preparing our food. 

As always, Seemal