Does Mayonnaise Have Sugar?

In this brief article, we will be discussing whether mayonnaise has sugar in it, along with some other nutritional facts and health information. Mayonnaise is an emulsified semisolid food prepared from vegetable oil, an acidifying ingredient, such as lemon juice or vinegar, egg yolk, salt and other ingredients, such as sugar and spices.

Does Mayonnaise Have Sugar?

Yes, mayonnaise does contain sugar; however, the amount is almost negligible, i.e. a 100 grams of mayonnaise contains 0.6 grams of sugar (carbohydrates). In the homemade mayonnaise, when no sugar is added, the sugar can be from the egg yolk. Commercial mayonnaise may contain more sugar, if sugar is added to the product.

The Code of Federal Regulations from the Food and Drug Administration regulates food nomenclature and their ingredients and defines Mayonnaise as the emulsified semisolid food prepared from vegetable oil (not less than 65 percent by weight), egg yolk and acidifying agents, such as citric or malic acid. Mayonnaise may contain emulsifying ingredients, salt, sugars, spices, monosodium glutamate, sequestrants, such as calcium disodium ethylenediamine-tetra-acetate and disodium ethylenediaminetetra-acetate, used to preserve color and flavor, and crystallization inhibitors, such as lecithin (1). 

Does Commercial Mayonnaise Contain Sugar?

Yes, commercial mayonnaise contains sugar. Unlike the homemade versions that generally contain egg yolks, oil, mustard, vinegar, and salt, some commercial manufacturers do tend to list sugar as an ingredient in their mayonnaise. Light versions or diet versions of mayonnaise may contain sweeteners. 

Why Does Mayonnaise Contain Sugar?

Besides the naturally presented sugar in egg, mayonnaise contains sugar due to its addition in the commercially produced mayonnaise. The role of sugar in the mayonnaise is to help reduce the water activity of the product, thus decreasing the risks of microbial growth.

Sugar is also added as a flavoring agent. Sugar, salt and spices give mayonnaise a balanced, smooth, rich flavor. As a result of the addition of sugar to mayonnaise, a weakening of the interaction between lipid droplets may occur, with a resulting decline in viscosity (4). 

Does homemade mayonnaise contain sugar?

Homemade mayonnaise contains sugar, as sugar is naturally present in the composition of egg, one of the main ingredients of mayonnaise. However, this amount of sugar is negligible, about 0.7 g per 100 g of whole egg. Sugars present in eggs are glucose (0.37 in 100 g) and traces of fructose, lactose, maltose, and galactose (5).

 Sugar may also be added to homemade mayonnaise to enhance flavor, although not necessarily. 

Is the sugar in commercial Mayonnaise a concern for Diabetics?

No, the sugar in commercial mayonnaise is not a concern for diabetics, as the amount of sugar is not high. According to studies, the sugar amount in commercial mayonnaise is about 5.5 g in 100 g (6).

In addition, it has been reported that the ingestion of sugar contained in a high-fat food matrix have positive effects on delaying the glycemic response, by which it may attenuate the postprandial rise in plasma glucose and insulin concentrations in type 2 diabetes patients when compared with the ingestion of the same amounts of sugar alone (7). 

Besides, some vegetable oils have been found to be useful in the management of diabetes. These oils, including groundnut oil, red palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil contains different fractions of fat and other component such as tocotrienols, tocopherols, oryzanol, phytosterols, which have varying effect on insulin resistance and metabolic control (2).

Is the sugar in Mayonnaise a concern for Weight Loss?

Yes, the sugar in commercial mayonnaise may be a concern for weight loss. Mayonnaise is indeed extremely high in fat, but that doesn’t imply that you exclude it from your diet for life. Mayonnaise can be incorporated into a healthy diet if consumed in very small quantities. 

However, recent studies have shown that body weight loss can be achieved by increase in fat intake, which is mediated through early satiety or filling, resulting in lower total caloric intake compared to a carbohydrate diet that would require high filling and higher calories (2).

Why is Vinegar Required to Make Mayonnaise?

Vinegar (commonly wine vinegar) or lemon juice is required to make mayonnaise because it not only enhances flavor but also provides the acidity that is needed for the mixture to adequately form. 

Added to that, acid is important to lower pH of the food and a pH at 4.2 or below has shown to be effective in controlling the hazardous bacteria Salmonella in raw-egg products. In the United States, it is estimated that there are around 1.4 million illnesses and 600 deaths caused by Salmonella annually (3).

What is the Nutritional Profile of Mayonnaise?

According to the USDA, the nutritional profile of 100 grams of mayonnaise is:

Energy714 Kcal
Protein0 g
Total lipid (fat)71.43 g
Carbohydrate7.14 g
Fiber0 g
Sugars0 g
Calcium, Ca0 mg
Iron, Fe0 mg
Sodium, Na571 mg
Vitamin C0 mg
Vitamin A0 IU
Saturated fatty acids,7.14 g
Trans fatty acids0 g
Cholesterol0 g  

Conclusion

In this brief article, we discussed whether mayonnaise has sugar in it, along with some other nutritional facts and health information. In addition, we discussed the role of sugar and other ingredients in mayonnaise.

References

  1. Food and Drug Administration. Code of Federal Regulations. Mayonnaise. 
  2. Ngala, Robert A., et al. Effect of dietary vegetable oil consumption on blood glucose levels, lipid profile and weight in diabetic mice: an experimental case—control study. BMC Nutr, 2016, 2, 1-8.
  3. Keerthirathne, Thilini Piushani, et al. A review of temperature, pH, and other factors that influence the survival of Salmonella in mayonnaise and other raw egg products. Pathogens, 2016, 5, 63.
  4. Duncan, Susan E. Fats: mayonnaise. Food Processing: Principles and Applications; Smith, JS, Hui, YH, Eds. 2004.  
  5. Réhault-Godbert, Sophie, Nicolas Guyot, and Yves Nys. The golden egg: nutritional value, bioactivities, and emerging benefits for human health. Nutrients, 2019, 11, 684.
  6. de Carvalho, Amarilis Santos, et al. β-Carotene colouring systems based on solid lipid particles produced by hot melt dispersion. Food Control, 2021, 129, 108262.
  7. Vanschoonbeek, K., et al. Slowly digestible carbohydrate sources can be used to attenuate the postprandial glycemic response to the ingestion of diabetes-specific enteral formulas. Diab Educ, 2009, 35, 631-640.

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