Pizza Research Articles

Retailing Trends and Opportunities of China’s Products in Indian Market

The aim of this study is to bring to light the scope&behavior of Chinese foods and products in the Indian retailing market. Mostly Asian countries have adopted economic policies which are encouraging rapid growth for making a presence in the international marketplace. In India, FDI permitted in retail sector for foreign groups is up to 51 per cent for 'multi-brand retailers', and 100% for single brand retailers. This decision has led to an increasing presence of international retailers. In this study respondents have been categorized into three groups 1st (managerial, administrative, or professional), 2nd (semi skilled, businessman) and 3rd (teen agers students, coupled with rising incomes). In addition, growth of an economy creates better opportunities for capable people, and affects their lifestyle, shopping behavior and eating habits. So Mostly retailers serve meals which are easy to cook and are delivered fast like pizza, burger, momos, fast foods, cold drinks and Chinese food. A faster inspection of the preferences and lifestyle of Indian consumers during momentous segmentation strategies can serve as basis for successfully competing in India's retail sector. Health-related anxiety, non vegetarians and coupled with rising incomes in India, is without delay to seek&preference to the more hygienic retail conditions.

Manufacture and sensory analysis of reduced- and low-sodium Cheddar and Mozzarella cheeses

High sodium intake negatively affects consumer health, thus there is active interest in lowering sodium levels in dairy foods. Cheddar and low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella cheeses were made with total salt levels of 0.7, 1.0, 1.25, 1.35, and 1.8% (wt/wt) in triplicate, thus reducing sodium by 25 to 60%. Multiple manufacturing protocols for salt reduction were used to produce cheeses with similar postpress moisture and pH, independent of the final salt levels in cheese, in order to study the role of salt in cheese acceptability. Cheese flavor was evaluated by a descriptive taste panel on a 15-point intensity scale. Consumer acceptance was evaluated by a consumer panel on a 9-point hedonic scale. Taste panels conducted with cubed Cheddar cheese (at 3 and 6mo) and cold shredded Mozzarella cheese (at 3wk) showed that consumer liking for cheese was low at 0.7 and 0.9% salt, but all cheeses containing higher salt levels (1.25, 1.35, and 1.8% salt) were comparably preferred. The cheeses had acceptable liking scores (≥6) when served as quesadilla or pizza toppings, and consumers were able to differentiate cheeses at alternate salt levels; for example, 1.8 and 1.5% salt cheeses scored similarly, as did cheeses with 1.5% and 1.35% salt, but 1.35% salt cheese scored lower than and was discernible from 1.8% salt cheese. Descriptive panelists perceived salty, sour, umami, bitter, brothy, lactone/fatty acid, and sulfur attributes as different across Mozzarella cheeses, with the perception of each significantly increasing along with salt level. Salty and buttery attributes were perceived more with increasing salt levels of Cheddar cheese by the descriptive panel at 3mo, whereas bitter, brothy, and umami attributes were perceived less at the higher salt levels. However, this trend reversed at 6mo, when perception of salty, sour, bitter, buttery, lactone/fatty acid, and umami attributes increased with salt level. We conclude that consumers can distinguish even a 30% salt reduction and a gradually phased sodium reduction is needed to improve acceptability of lower sodium cheeses.

Pairing Vegetables with a Liked Food and Visually Appealing Presentation: Promising Strategies for Increasing Vegetable Consumption among Preschoolers

Vegetable consumption among preschool children is below recommended levels. New evidence-based approaches to increase preschoolers' vegetable intake, particularly in the child care setting, are needed. This study tests the effectiveness of two community-based randomized interventions to increase vegetable consumption and willingness to try vegetables: (1) the pairing of a vegetable with a familiar, well-liked food and (2) enhancing the visual appeal of a vegetable. Fifty-seven preschoolers enrolled in a Child and Adult Care Food Program-participating child care center participated in the study; complete lunch and snack data were collected from 43 and 42 children, respectively. A within-subjects, randomized design was used, with order of condition counterbalanced. For lunch, steamed broccoli was served either on the side of or on top of cheese pizza. For a snack, raw cucumber was served either as semicircles with chive and an olive garnish or arranged in a visually appealing manner (in the shape of a caterpillar). Paired t-tests were used to determine differences in consumption of meal components, and McNemar's test was performed to compare willingness to taste. Neither visual appeal enhancement nor pairing with a liked food increased vegetable consumption. Pairing increased willingness to try the vegetable from 79% to 95% of children (p=0.07). Greater vegetable intake occurred at snack than at lunch. Further research should explore the strategy of pairing vegetables with liked foods. Greater consumption at snack underscores snack time as a critical opportunity for increasing preschool children's vegetable intake.

Crowdsourcing Objective Answers to Subjective Questions Online

In this demonstration, we show how Ranker’s algorithms use diverse sampling, measurement, and algorithmic techniques to crowdsource answers to subjective questions in a real-world online environment where user behavior is difficult to control. Ranker receives approximately 8 million visitors each month, as of September 2013, and collects over 1.5 million monthly user opinions. Tradeoffs between computational complexity, projected user engagement, and accuracy are required in such an environment, and aggregating across diverse techniques allows us to mitigate the sizable errors specific to individual imperfect crowdsourcing methods. We will specifically show how relatively unstructured crowdsourcing can yield surprisingly accurate predictions of movie box-office revenue, celebrity mortality, and retail pizza topping sales.

Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin (review)

Reviewed by: Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin Hope Morrison Rubin, Adam Secret Pizza Party; illus. by Daniel Salmieri. Dial, 2013 [40p] ISBN 978-0-8037-3947-5 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad 5-8 yrs “Poor Raccoon. All he wants in life is some pizza.” Unfortunately for Raccoon, it’s hard to get your paws on a slice when you have a rep for stealing food and digging through trash cans. An unnamed narrator (and ally) comes up with the suggestion of a secret pizza party (“Regular pizza party: Get that raccoon off the table!! Secret pizza party: Get that raccoon another slice of pizza, he’s the guest of honor”), and Raccoon takes to the idea immediately. He manages to steal a pizza, escape the raccoon-sniffing broom-bots, and hole up safely in his tree; rather than stopping while he’s ahead, he then crashes the neighbors’ secret pizza party and gets caught red-handed fully reclined on a table full of pizzas. Secret eating is an appealing notion, but the joke is taken too far for the story to support, and some of the humor is outside the audience range. The watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations make the starring raccoon crafty but loveable, veering between anthropomorphism (he’s bipedal and trenchcoated when he’s in the pizza parlor) and authentically animal (in escape, he darts like the wild creature he is). The palette effectively contrasts the raccoon’s monochromatic markings with the yellows and reds of the pizza throughout, and the lively, slightly offbeat compositions bring a welcome helping of energy. The story doesn’t quite deliver, but listeners will empathize with the misunderstood protagonist who just wants a piece of the pie. Copyright © 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

How Understanding Neuroscience Helps Me Get Unstuck

How Understanding Neuroscience Helps Me Get Unstuck

Rita delivers guilt-free pizza

Rita delivers guilt-free pizza

Acceptability of Whole-Grain Pizza Crust in a Restaurant Setting

Objectives are twofold: 1) assess acceptability of whole-grain pizza crust among children in restaurants and 2) examine motivations of parents and children when choosing children’s restaurant meals and parents’ opinions about whole-grain children’s meals. Environmental changes can facilitate eating behavior changes. A 55% whole-grain pizza crust was designed to replace children's refined-grain crust at Green Mill restaurants (Midwest US chain). Consumption was observed by researchers (n=6) in restaurants, with high inter-rater reliability. Data were collected before (n=161) and after (n=62) the new crust was introduced, and is ongoing. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency was established by online survey (n=28) prior to administering the survey in person (n=76) and online (n=177). Survey frequency data and comparison of pre- and post-intervention consumption data via paired t-test. Preliminary data from 5 restaurant locations over 6 months indicate that children consume as much of the whole-grain crust (49.8%) as the original crust (44.3%), based on an average adult serving size of 400g (P=.11). Taste was the most important factor influencing meal selection for parents and children. A majority of parents agreed that whole-grain pizza crust is healthier than refined-grain crust (86.6%). 35.3% of parents indicated their child likes the taste of whole-grain pizza crust, while 43.3% had no opinion. Results show that children will eat whole-grain foods in amounts similar to refined-grain foods at restaurants, where more options exist and their parents influence food selection. This is an important outcome that could serve as the foundation for future work with large, national restaurant chains.

Preparation and Quality Evaluation of Mozzarella Cheese from Different Milk Sources

Three mozzarella cheeses were prepared from three different milk sources i.e. cow (C), buffalo (B) and their mix (A) milks using DL (Streptococcus lactis and cremoris; S. Diacetalactic, Leuconostoc cremoris) and yoghurt cultures. Milk was standardized to C/F: 0.90/0.92 and process optimized for using all milk sources. The samples were analyzed for physico-chemical and functional properties, sensory attributes and protein and fat losses. Except ash and yield at 50% moisture; fat, protein, actual yield, pH, acidity and moisture were significantly influenced by milk sources. From sensory result, cow and mix cheeses were significantly superior, whereas functional properties were superior for cow cheese but buffalo and mix cheeses had higher nutritive value. From overall comparison, cow mozzarella cheese was ranked most suitable for pizza topping. J. Food Sci. Technol. Nepal, Vol. 6 (94-101), 2010 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jfstn.v6i0.8268

Writing Women: The Virtual Cookbook and Pinterest

This article aims to throw new light on the representation of women who cook as necessarily perpetuating a domestic ideology in which women are confined to the home. Traditionally, cookbooks written by women have disseminated both cooking information and rules and practices for running an effective household, which have contributed to the ideologies that underpin female domestic practice. However, the evolution of social media platforms, such as Pinterest, which enable the user to actively select and visually display culinary masterpieces on a digital pinboard, have provided a forum for women's voices and a novel means of expression that is available to the amateur cook and professional chef alike. This article will argue that the creation of a virtual cookbook, via Pinterest, is a means of empowering women, which is central to the lexicon of feminist debate. Rather than being the victims of domestic servitude, this article will argue that the women who create virtual cookbooks do so by choice, and as a means of pleasing the self, irrespective of achieving domestic or marital bliss.

Cover Caption

On the cover: Example of ham pizza used for chemical and sensory testing, which showed that baking time and cupping of meat toppings can affect concentrations of heterocyclic amines. From “Formation of Heterocyclic Amines in Salami and Ham Pizza Toppings during Baking of Frozen Pizza” by Monika Gibis and Jochen Weiss; p C832.

Impact of Salt Granulometry and Method of Incorporation of Salt on the Salty and Texture Perception of Model Pizza Dough

Abstract The aim of this study was to understand the impact of salt granulometry and the method of incorporation on the saltiness and texture perception of model pizza dough formulated without fat. Three salt granulometries and three methods of incorporation of salt were evaluated. Sensory methods were used to determine perceived saltiness and texture. Instrumental methods were performed to assess in vitro salt release. Salt granulometry did not seem to have an influence on saltiness and texture perception, except for coarse salt that had a particular behavior. Methods of incorporation of salt did not seem to have an impact on saltiness perception. These results were correlated to in vitro salt release. Methods of incorporation influenced texture perception, particularly in samples made with pre-dissolved salt. These results are discussed in relation to a modification of the development of the gluten network and starch gelatinization, inducing a change in textural properties. Product texture did not seem to influence saltiness perception. These findings underline the complexity of saltiness perception. Practical Applications Salt reduction in food is becoming a major concern of public health authorities. Salt is used as a taste and flavor enhancer, and is involved in food preservation and food structure, particularly in bakery products for the development of the gluten network. This is why reducing the sodium content without altering organoleptic properties represents a major challenge for the food industry. This work presents the feasibility of varying salt granulometry and methods of incorporation as an efficient way of modifying saltiness and texture perception in order to reduce the salt content of pizza dough.

Formation of Heterocyclic Amines in Salami and Ham Pizza Toppings During Baking of Frozen Pizza

Heterocyclic amines (HAs) are formed as Maillard reaction products in the crust of meat products during heating processes. Two typical pizza toppings--salami and cooked ham--were analyzed for the presence of HAs after baking frozen pizzas at top and bottom temperatures of 250 and 230 °C, respectively. After baking pizza slices for 12 min, MeIQx (2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline; 0.2 ng/g), 4,8-DiMeIQx (2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline; 0.5 ng/g), PhIP (2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine; 0.2 ng/g), norharman (4.5 ng/g), and harman (2.5 ng/g) were found in the ham toppings, whereas only the comutagenic norharman (107.4 ng/g) and harman (11.4 ng/g) were found in the salami toppings. The content of MeIQx and 4,8-DiMeIQx in ham increased from 0.3 to 1.8 ng/g and 0.8 to 1.6 ng/g, respectively, when the recommended baking time was increased from 15 min (manufacturer's specification) to 18 min at 230 °C. MeIQx was formed in salami when the heating time was extended to 18 min. Moreover, higher concentrations of PhIP in salami or ham slices were found when baking temperatures were 250 °C rather than 230 °C (baking time of 12 min). However, sensory tests showed that panelists preferred longer-baked pizzas due to an increased crispiness. Thus, results show that a substantial formation of HAs may occur in pizza toppings such as ham and salami, with ham being particularly susceptible when compared to salami. Formation of HAs increases with increasing baking time and temperature. The occurrence of the cupping of ham or salami slices during baking may also increase the formation of HAs.

Monitoring sodium in commercial packaged and restaurant foods

As part of a collaborative initiative between USDA, CDC and FDA to monitor sodium in the US food supply, a systemic program to monitor commercial packaged and restaurant foods with added sodium is underway at Agricultural Research Service (ARS). It includes nationwide sampling and analyses of about 125 Sentinel Foods, identified by ARS scientists as primary indicators to assess changes in the food supply. An additional ~1200 foods that support the processing of dietary data in the national survey, What We Eat In America (WWEIA), NHANES are being monitored through review of the Nutrition Facts Panel. As of FY 2012, about 75% of the Sentinel Foods have been sampled and analyzed. Preliminary review of the data shows mixed trends in mean sodium content. For example, there were no significant changes for taco shells and fast food cheese and pepperoni pizzas, whereas thin crust cheese pizza increased by 10.7% (p=0.014). Reductions of 20–25% were seen in ketchup (p<0.005) and canned pasta with sauce (p=0.038). These updated data are publicly available for use by researchers and epidemiologists and released annually in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) and biennially in the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) for use in the WWEIA, NHANES.

Evaluation of the Physicochemical Properties and Antimicrobial Activities of Bioactive Biodegradable Films

The use of edible films to release antimicrobial constituents in food packaging is a form of active packaging. Different extractions of Myrtus communis, Urtica urens, Ziziphus spina-christi, and Zygophyllum coccineum were tested for their antimicrobial activity against the food pathogenic microorganisms Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Aspergillus niger by using agar diffusion assay method. Soy-starch and gelatin edible films were prepared and incorporated with Myrtus communis and Ziziphus spina-christi essential oils separately and as a mixture in different concentrations. The films were characterized for their antimicrobial activity by using agar diffusion assay method and their physico-chemical properties. The films were studied on different food applications (orange, apple, lemon, tomato, pizza dough, chicken salami, meat salami, artificial cheese, mayonnaise, yoghurt and skimmed cheese). The results showed that, the films extended the shelf-life of the food products depending on the effective chemical compounds of the essential oils α-pinene and limonene.

Relating vesicle shapes in pyroclasts to eruption styles

Vesicles in pyroclasts provide a direct record of conduit conditions during explosive volcanic eruptions. Although their numbers and sizes are used routinely to infer aspects of eruption dynamics, vesicle shape remains an underutilized parameter. We have quantified vesicle shapes in pyroclasts from fall deposits of seven explosive eruptions of different styles, using the dimensionless shape factor $\Omega $ , a measure of the degree of complexity of the bounding surface of an object. For each of the seven eruptions, we have also estimated the capillary number, Ca, from the magma expansion velocity through coupled diffusive bubble growth and conduit flow modeling. We find that $\Omega $ is smaller for eruptions with ${\rm{Ca}} \ll 1$ than for eruptions with Ca $\gg 1$ . Consistent with previous studies, we interpret these results as an expression of the relative importance of structural changes during magma decompression and bubble growth, such as coalescence and shape relaxation of bubbles by capillary stresses. Among the samples analyzed, Strombolian and Hawaiian fire-fountain eruptions have ${\rm{Ca}} \ll 1$ , in contrast to Vulcanian, Plinian, and ultraplinian eruptions. Interestingly, the basaltic Plinian eruptions of Tarawera volcano, New Zealand in 1886 and Mt. Etna, Italy in 122 BC, for which the cause of intense explosive activity has been controversial, are also characterized by ${\rm{Ca}} \gg 1$ and larger values of $\Omega $ than Strombolian and Hawaiian style (fire fountain) eruptions. We interpret this to be the consequence of syn-eruptive magma crystallization, resulting in high magma viscosity and reduced rates of bubble growth. Our model results indicate that during these basaltic Plinian eruptions, buildup of bubble overpressure resulted in brittle magma fragmentation.

USDA Monitors Levels of Added Sodium in Commercial Packaged and Restaurant Foods

This manuscript describes progress by the Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) in monitoring sodium in processed and prepared foods frequently consumed by the U.S. population. Recent concerns by the U.S. public health community about the intake of sodium by Americans have led ARS, USDA to develop a plan to monitor the levels of sodium in highly consumed commercial packaged and restaurant foods. NDL scientists worked with USDA's Food Surveys Research Group (FSRG) to identify 125 Sentinel Foods, to serve as indicators for assessment of change in the sodium content in the food supply. For each food (e.g., cheese pizza) NDL used market share data to identify the predominant brands and types of foods (e.g., frozen cheese pizza, restaurant pizza) to be monitored for changes in the sodium level over time. Periodically, nutrient values for frequently consumed foods will be updated by chemical analysis or label checks. Estimates will be compared to existing values in the National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR). Since 2010, about 140 foods have been sampled and analyzed by NDL contractors. NDL will continue to generate new sodium data which will be disseminated in the successive releases of the SR. Accurate and current data for sodium in processed foods will support the assessment of changes in sodium in foods as well as the assessment of sodium intake by the U.S. population in the years ahead.

전자코를 이용한 다양한 유형의 치즈 제품 풍미성분 분석

The objective of this study was to analyze the flavor pattern of different varieties of cheeses. Four of the each following cheese varieties such as shred type pizza cheese, Cheddar cheese, Mozzarella block cheese, and white mold-ripened cheeses, stored at 4 o C during 2 wks were examined before and after cooking at 70 o C and 160 o C. Flavor patterns of these cheeses were analyzed using an electronic nose system based on mass spectrometer. All data were treated by multivariate data processing based on discriminant function analysis (DFA). The results showed the discriminant model by DFA method. Data revealed that flavor patterns of pizza cheeses were well separated as storage prolonged and obviously discriminated as the higher the cooking temperature. The result of pattern recognition analysis based on discriminant function analysis showed that new brand of pizza cheese produced by Imsil Cheese Cooperative was located at middle between the flavors of the imported brands of pizza cheese and those of domestic brand of pizza cheeses. Imsil cheese has a unique flavor pattern among other variety of cheeses. Application of pattern recognition analysis by electronic nose might be useful and advanced technology for characterizing in flavor pattern of cheese products from different origins and different categories of cheeses.

Dietary Baked Milk Accelerates the Resolution of Cow’s Milk Allergy in Children

To evaluate outcomes of children with cow’s milk allergy that incorporate extensively heated (baked) milk products into the diet.Eighty-nine subjects aged 0.5 to 21 years were recruited from a large academic pediatric allergy clinic. Subjects were diagnosed with milk allergy based on a positive skin prick test (SPT) or detectable serum milk-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E and history of allergic reaction to milk. Subjects were also included if milk-specific IgE or SPT responses were >95% of predicted value for clinical reactivity.Subjects underwent an initial baked milk oral challenge with a muffin containing 1.3 g of milk protein baked at 350°F for 30 minutes. Subjects who were reactive to baked milk (n = 23) were instructed to completely avoid all forms of milk and were offered a repeat challenge ≥6 months from the initial challenge. Patients who were tolerant to baked milk (n = 65) were instructed to incorporate baked milk products daily into their diets. After ≥6 months, these patients were offered challenges to baked cheese products (cheese pizza with 4.6 g of milk baked at 425°F for >13 minutes). After 6 months of tolerating baked cheese, subjects were offered challenges to unheated milk. A historical comparison group of subjects who fulfilled the inclusion criteria but were not initially ingesting baked milk was included. Serum samples were collected for measurement of IgE and IgG4 antibodies to milk, casein, and beta-lactoglobulin. All food challenges were performed openly.Challenges were conducted over a median of 37 months (range: 8–75 months). In the group of 65 subjects initially tolerant to baked milk, 39 (60%) now tolerated unheated milk. Over the same time period, 2 (9%) of the 23 subjects who were originally reactive to baked milk tolerated unheated milk. Subjects who were initially tolerant to baked milk were 28 times more likely to become unheated milk tolerant compared with baked milk–reactive subjects (P < .001). Subjects who introduced dietary baked milk were 16 times more likely than comparison group subjects to become unheated milk tolerant (P < .001). Median casein IgG4 levels in baked milk–tolerant group increased significantly (P < .001), but median milk IgE values did not change significantly.Tolerance of baked milk suggests a transient IgE-mediated cow’s milk allergy. The addition of baked milk to the diet in children tolerating such foods appears to accelerate the development of unheated milk tolerance compared with strict avoidance.This and other supportive studies now suggest a change to the mantra of strict avoidance of known food allergens for a subset of foods. For milk-allergic patients, allergists can now offer baked milk oral food challenges with the hope of accelerating clearance of their food allergy. Additional studies directed at determining which patients would be at increased risk for reacting to a baked milk challenge would be helpful because those reacting sometimes experience anaphylaxis.

Production of pizza dough with reduced fermentation time

The aim of this study was to reduce the fermentation time of pizza dough by evaluating the development of the dough during fermentation using a Chopin® rheofermentometer and verifying the influence of time and temperature using a 2² factorial design. The focus was to produce characteristic soft pizza dough with bubbles and crispy edges and soft in the center. These attributes were verified by the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA). The dough was prepared with the usual ingredients, fermented at a temperature range from 27 to 33 ºC for 30 to 42 minutes, enlarged, added with tomato sauce, baked, and frozen. The influence of the variables time and temperature on the release of carbon dioxide (H'm) was confirmed with positive and significant effect, using a rheofermentometer, which was not observed for the development or maximum height of the dough (Hm). The same fermentation conditions of the experimental design were used for the production of the pizza dough in the industrial process; it was submitted to Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA), in which the samples were described by nine attributes. The results showed that some samples had the desired characteristics of pizza dough, demonstrated by the principal component analysis (PCA), indicating a 30 % fermentation time reduction when compared to the conventional process.