Pizza Profits From Cheese Innovations

Innovations in cheese that improve pizza's look, flavor and performance are giving pizza makers new ways to satisfy consumer tastes while answering pizza-industry production challenges.

"We're seeing the evolution of cheese created specifically for the needs of pizza-making," says Dean Sommer, cheese technologist, Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison. "That gives pizza makers lots of options for creating pizza that pleases consumers."

Sommer presented his survey of the latest research into cheese performance at the 2006 International Pizza Expo, a forum for pizzeria managers, distributors, food brokers and trade media to learn about new products and industry innovations. Nearly 10,000 pizza professionals attended the 2006 event, which took place March 14 to 16 in Las Vegas.

For consumers, "cheese is everyone's favorite pizza ingredient because of its great taste, texture and mouthfeel," Sommer said in his presentation. Pizza makers value cheese as well, he added, because "cheese brings to pizza the triple play of performance, flavor and nutrition."

One challenge in the pizza business today is to retain the qualities that make cheese the ultimate pizza ingredient while the industry evolves. For instance, the use of hotter, conveyor-style ovens that cook pizzas faster "really stresses cheese," Sommer says. So researchers are responding with new varieties of mozzarella that retain the whiter color that consumers prefer even under high temperatures, he reports.

Another recent pizza innovation is stuffed-crust pizza, which calls for cheese with very specific melt and stretch characteristics. New cheese blends using Hispanic-style blanco processed cheese can help pizza makers deliver stuffed-crust pizza with delicious, buttery flavor and just the right texture and chew, Sommer told his audience.

As America's population matures, so does its taste in food. Another development Sommer described is pizza topped with nontraditional cheese varieties for "gourmet" flavor and new textures. Blending provolone, Muenster, feta and blue cheese with mozzarella helps keep pizza's appeal fresh to an older demographic, he pointed out. "If you want to differentiate yourself, there are a lot of different cheeses and blends that add flavor, functionality and uniqueness to your pizza," he says.

Older consumers and the weight-conscious who are focused on good-for-you foods are another strong force in the marketplace. To meet the needs of this demographic, said Sommer, cheese researchers are working hard to develop reduced-fat and fat-free cheeses with superior flavor and melt, as well as cheese fortified with vitamins, minerals or health-promoting fatty acids, such as omega-3s.

"There are just so many ways now to make a pizza that works for consumers," says Sommer.