Nowadays demand for food products made by natural sources is rising so fast. In this work Lysozyme (Lyz) was conjugated with gum Arabic
(GA) in order to be applied in mayonnaise, at which the presence of both preservative and emulsifi er is essential. Interestingly, the Lyz-GA conjugate
exhibited improved functional properties and antibacterial activity. In order to approve the results of this study, the Lyz-GA conjugate was applied to
mayonnaise as a natural preservative and emulsifi er. Application of the Lzy-GA conjugate in mayonnaise expedited the death rate of both S. aureus
and E. coli K-12. The observation proved that conjugations of Lyz with GA increased the spectrum of its application in food products with improved
antibacterial activity. Surprisingly, investigation of emulsion stability and rheological properties confi rmed the improved emulsifi cation role of Lyz-GA
conjugate with a higher elasticity in the mayonnaise. Mayonnaise including conjugates showed a linear rheological response and shear-thinning behavior. Sensory analysis of the mayonnaise with Lyz-GA conjugate was completely consistent with the commercial one. Taken together, our results suggest
that conjugation of Lyz with GA made possible the application of a natural preservative and emulsifi er in food and pharmaceutical industries, whereas
Lyz alone does not have a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity or emulsifying propertie
