Mayonnaise is one of the most popular sauces, the sale of which goes into the tens of thousands of tons. At the same time, unlike many other sauces, mayonnaise is a surprisingly conservative product in recipe and basic taste that consumers are used to – there are only a few variations that have caught on, first of all it is Provencal mayonnaise with the addition of mustard, which is probably popular with all Mayonnaise makers; as well as rarer varieties with small amounts of lemon juice or similar ingredients that don’t really affect the overall taste of the product and are added for marketing purposes rather than necessity.
As a result, the mayonnaise market has developed very statically – the taste and recipe of the product are roughly the same for all players, and competition is more intense at the level of marketing departments and advertising budgets than at the level of the product as such. At the same time, it is extremely difficult to significantly increase market share through such advertising and marketing methods, because from the consumer’s point of view, no matter which brand you take off the shelf, no matter what is on the packaging, the product is roughly the same in all companies.
What about ambitious companies that want to increase their market share? Among the proven ways to stand out today, there is only one that is more or less realistic – more precisely, in the form of a colossal marketing budget, although that doesn’t always work either. In addition, of course, not every company can afford to bear high and risky advertising and sales promotion costs, especially in the currently not very favorable economic framework.
There can only be one alternative to the “frontal attack” on the market – finding a new taste for a well-known product that allows both to stand out from the competition and to expand its scope at the same time. The use of mayonnaise as a common condiment increases the potential sales market.
And we have such an opportunity for you – to do this, you need to add a composition of CO2 extracts that is suitable in terms of taste and in terms of culinary applicability to the mayonnaise. This is the right way to get a fresh taste and new uses at the same time.
There is only one difficulty with such a solution – mayonnaise is a product so specific in taste that it turned out to be incredibly difficult to select an extract or extract composition that would solve all of the above tasks. As a result, after lengthy experiments and numerous focus groups, we have so far only been able to find one option that works and was rated well by the participants in beta tests and pre-tastings. This is a composition of “Provence Herbs” extracts, consisting of five fragrant Mediterranean herbs: thyme, rosemary, savory, oregano and basil.
In addition to the fact that this composition goes surprisingly well both with the taste of mayonnaise and with its use in home cooking, it is also very organically combined with the most common variety of this sauce, “Provencal”. Mayonnaise “Provencal with Herbs of Provence” – sounds interesting enough to convince consumers to take the pack off the shelf and try it without spending a fortune on advertising and promotions. Well, the taste itself and the actual consumer characteristics of the product will encourage the second purchase – after all, adding aromatic herbs that will be useful in dishes to which mayonnaise is usually added (salads, pasta, eggs, sandwiches, etc.), that have a pleasant taste and smell, only make the mayonnaise better and more interesting.
The composition of natural CO2 extracts “Herbs of Provence” gives the product not only new taste qualities but also additional useful properties that can be used in advertising materials or written directly on the packaging if required. A brief description of the functional properties of each of the extracts included in the formulation is given below.
- CO2 extract from rosemary – gives the products a characteristic mild taste and a spicy aroma. Recommended for use in meat, fish and vegetable dishes. Has a disinfecting, antioxidant, regenerating effect. It helps improve the condition of upper respiratory diseases and bronchial asthma.
- CO2 extract from thyme – has a pronounced spicy taste and a characteristic strong aroma. In Mediterranean countries it is one of the most important spice additives. Supports the immune and nervous system, protects the respiratory tract, the digestive system and the urogenital tract from pathogenic bacteria and fungi.
- CO2 extract from oregano – oregano is the most famous Mediterranean spice. Oregano has a bitter-spicy taste and a delicately refreshing aroma. It is used in the preparation of products from meat, eggs, cottage cheese, vegetables, mushrooms. It has a very strong antioxidant effect. Contains Carvacrol, which kills bacteria, parasites and viruses instantly.
- Spicy CO2 extract – has a bitter taste and an aroma reminiscent of black pepper. It is used in chicken, mushroom, and legume dishes. It is used as an antibacterial, anthelmintic agent. Treats headache, dizziness, cystitis, runny nose, respiratory problems, stomach discomfort. Antioxidant.
- Basil CO2 extract – has a complex aroma with notes of clove, lemon, allspice and a tart, spicy taste. It is used in the production of meat dishes, vegetables, salads, soups, sauces and cold snacks. It has pronounced antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and soothing properties. It is an antispasmodic and immunomodulatory agent.
You need to add a lot of the ingredient (composition of Provence Herbs) for two reasons: 1) Mayonnaise has a high barrier to its own taste, and in order for the additive to be clearly distinguishable it needs to be added more than usual, 2) Mayonnaise is one Sauce and must not only contain a stock of the ingredient according to your own taste, but enough to season a larger dish.
Recommended application quantities for extracts of various types:
- Article А100 (CO2 extract, undiluted, fat-soluble): 0.35 g / kg (or 350 g / tn, or 0.035% by weight of the product).
- Article СНА5 (CO2 extract on a dry carrier, concentration 5%): 7g / kg (or 7kg / tn or 0.7% by weight of the product).
- Article EMA5 (CO2 extract microemulsion, water-soluble, concentration 5%): 7 ml / kg (or 7 l / tn or 0.7% by weight of the product.
At current prices, the additional cost is about 0,20-0,24 euros per kilogram of product, depending on the carrier option selected and the rate of application. Which, unfortunately, is not as cheap as we’d like, but the increase in consumer properties of the product and its novelty fully justify the price. At lower rates of introduction, the additive is simply no longer noticeable to the extent necessary and gives the product the properties that enable it to stand out from the other fairly similar products in this segment.
Remarks.
- The introduction rates above are some averages selected according to our taste and for a particular type of basis. However, since the basics (mayonnaise recipes) and the vision of the final product are different for all manufacturers, when receiving samples, it is recommended to choose several options with a certain step in order to then choose the most suitable or to adjust the introduction rate based on the tasting. For example, if you have received a CHA5 sample, it makes sense to choose 3 options with application rates of 6, 7 and 8 g / kg. For item A100 – 0.3, 0.35 and 0.4 g / t. Based on the results you got, either accept one of the options or do another iteration and make additional adjustments.
- If you would like to try alternative options for mayonnaise additives, we can send additional samples of extracts or extract compositions. In the course of our research, we have not yet been able to find any other successful options that consumers would like to add to mayonnaise as “Herbs of Provence”. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Perhaps your research will produce the best results.