If you've ever made cole slaw or other salads with mayonnaise from Kewpie, especially their half-calorie version, Kewpie Half, you may have noticed that your veggies are crunchier and your salads less soggy than when using other mayonnaises.

Kewpie Corporation had observed this fact but the scientific reason had not been explained... until now.

Kewpie Half, now improved for the 11th time since its first release 30 years ago, maintains the delicious egg taste of Kewpie mayonnaise with only half of the calories. It's currently sold in Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, but can also be purchased at some Asian supermarkets and online retailers in other countries.

The science behind the crunch

In their study on "The Influence of Mayonnaise Products on Physical Properties of Salads" presented at the 2022 Annual Conference of the Japanese Society of Culinary Science held between September 2nd and 3rd, 2022, Kewpie Corporation focused on the "amount of oil" and "size of oil particles" in various mayonnaise products in order to explain why salads don't get soggy when mixed with Kewpie Half.

Seven mayonnaise products with different amounts of oil were mixed with shredded cabbage to make a salad, and their physical properties were evaluated (cabbage firmness and water release). As a result, it was confirmed that the less oil and the smaller the oil particles in the mayonnaise, the crunchier the cabbage was maintained and the less water was released into the salad.

Therefore, Kewpie confirmed that Kewpie Half, which contains less oil and finer and more uniform oil particles through their proprietary microemulsion manufacturing method, keeps salad vegetables crunchier than the other mayonnaises in their test, making it the perfect partner for salads.

Six salad recipes for Fall/Winter 2022

Kewpie Corporation has added six new recipes for the Fall/Winter season on their Kewpie Half website, in addition to the 30 salad recipes they had already published to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Kewpie Half's launch in 1992.

Carrot and Egg Salad

Crunchy carrots, boiled eggs and almonds combine in a winning combination.

Maitake Mushrooms, Chrysanthemum Greens and Mixed Beans

Maitake mushrooms are the star of this salad. The addition of chrysanthemum greens gives it a new taste.

Sweet Potato and Apple

In this salad, the mild tanginess of cheese enhances the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and apples.

Mizuna and Herb Chicken

A hearty salad with chicken, boiled egg and crisp mizuna. The herb flavor is refreshing.

Daikon Radish, Tuna, and Apple

Daikon radish with tuna and sweet and sour apples. The mild flavor can be also be enjoyed by children.

Napa Cabbage and Ham

A coleslaw-like salad made with Napa cabbage. Shredding it makes it blend well with Kewpie Half.

You can get all the details, as well as the other 30 salad recipes on the Kewpie Half website here.