Eyring's kinetic theory of liquids was applied to the study of flow behavior of low oil content mayonnaises at different temperatures. These food emulsions were formulated with different biopolymers as stabilizers (polysaccharides such as modified starch, gellan gum, and pectin). The analysis of the values obtained for the parameters of the Eyring equation for viscosity determined the emulsion containing only starch as a stabilizer is the most unstable to stirring. Replacement of part of the starch with gellan gum or pectin enhances the stability of the emulsion. The results for activation energy are quite similar for high shear rates, which can be explained by the evolution of the average drop size distribution. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.