SUMMARY
In the last years, through the emerging technologies for food processing, new ways are proposed for replacing the synthetic antioxidants with natural occurring compounds extracted from plants and which exert a high antioxidant activity. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the addition of Salvia officinalis essential oil and its impact on the physicochemical characteristics of homemade mayonnaise. The product was monitored for four months in order to highlight the possible physicochemical changes, by determining the peroxide, the free fatty acids and the pH values. During storage, the pH of all investigated samples, except mayonnaise sample containing 2 μl/g of sage essential oil, slightly increased. The peroxid values for all samples increased during storage period and were higher than the one obtained for the control sample. Also, an increase in the free fatty acids content was noticed for all studied samples. Following the results obtained it can be stated that Salvia officinalis essential oil could be useful to control the development of rancidity and to maintain the quality and extend the shelf life of mayonnaise.