Common food raw materials – Pizzas

In the sample of 56 pizzas analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 56 products use base-dough made with white wheat flour; 7 products use dough with whole wheat flour; 7 products use dough with linseed flour and 2 products use wheat fiber.

WHAT Is and the REASONS to use DOUGH:

Pizza base, having wheat flour enriched with iron and folic acid as main ingredient. The dough can also contain whole wheat flour, wheat bran, wheat fiber, and linseed flour.

Notes

Typically, dough is made with wheat flour enriched with iron, folic acid, water, soybean oil, salt, dextrose, biological yeast, and it can also contain malt extract, starch, emulsifiers and e dough enhancers.

In the sample of 56 pizzas analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 54 products use cheese.
• 2 product used vegan cheese.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use CHEESE:

Mozzarella, lactose-free mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, lactose-free buffalo mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, cheese processed with Gorgonzola, provolone cheese, Gorgonzola cheese, cream cheese, lactose-free cream cheese, cheddar cheese and vegan cheese. Used to give flavor, color, aroma, ans aesthetics, being important from nutritional point of view, mainly for its protein content.

Notes

Typically, the cheese vegan substitute is made using water, potato starch, palm-based oil, apple concentrates, carrot and pumpking, salt, mozzarella aroma. There are products that use cashew nut.

In the sample of 56 cakes analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 8 product use chicken meat.
• 26 product use meat by-products.

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use MEAT AND BY-PRODUCTS:

Chicken meat, smoked sausage, cooked and smoked pork loin, Canadian-type loin, sliced pepperoni and cooked ham. Used to make different types/flavors of pizza.

Notes

Typically, cooked and seasoned chicken meet is added with tomato extract, water, salt and spices.

In the sample of 56 pizzas analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 56 products use tomato and its by-products

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use TOMATO AND BY-PRODUCTS:

Tomato, conventional or organic, used as dressing, extract, pulp, juice, and in natura, with peel or peeled. Used as base to make pizzas.

Notes

Tomato is rich in lycopene, carotenoids responsible for its reddish color and it has an antioxidant action in the body, mitigating the damages caused to cells by free radicals

In the sample of 56 pizzas analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 30 products use olives; 22, onion; 2, broccolis; 3 pea; 2, pepper; 1, corn and 1, mushrooms.

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use PLANT-BASED PRODUCTS:

Olives, onion, red onion, broccolis, pea, green pepper, corn and mushrooms. Used as optional ingredients in different types of pizza.

Notes

In the case of vegan pizzas, vegan cheese has other vegetables in its formulation, such as potato, carrot, apple and pumpkin. There are products that use cashew nut.

In the sample of 56 pizzas analyzed in a study conducted by Ital: 

• 48 products use spices and seasonings.

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use SPICES AND SEASONINGS:

Garlic, basil, coriander, black pepper, parsley, chicken and spices prepared seasonings. Used to provide aroma and flavor.

Notes

Due to its variety, seasoning and spices offer flexibility when preparing pizzas.

In the sample of 56 pizzas analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 9 products use margarine, 33, soybean oil and 7, olive oil.

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use OILS AND MARGARINE:

Margarine, soybean oil, palm oil and olive oil. Used to give a higher softness to the dough and to give flavor.

Notes

Many consumers have the habit of pouring some olive oil over the pizza before eating them.

In the sample of 56 pizzas analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 3 products use milk cream, 1, garlic cream and 3, cream cheese.

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use CREAMS:

Milk cream, garlic cream, and cream cheese. Used to give specific flavor and textures to the pizzas.

Notes

As specific technical regulations are inexistent, creams made are classified as dressings.

In the sample of 56 cakes analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 2 products use dressing with Catupiry cheese, 1, dressing with Gorgonzola cheese and 1, chicken dressing.

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use DRESSINGS:

Dressing with Catupiry cheese, dressing with Gorgonzola cheese, and chicken dressing. Used to give flavor and creaminess to the pizza, and can also be used for aesthetic and gourmetization, adding nutrition in addition to indulgence.

Notes

According to the RDC No. 276 from September 22nd, 2005, dressings “are products in liquid, pasty, emulsion, suspension forms with spice(s) and or seasoning(s) and or other ingredient(s), fermented or not, used to make or add flavor or aroma to food and beverages.” For that reason, pasty mixtures containing cream cheese and other ingredients can be classified as dressings.

In the sample of 56 pizzas analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• Water is used in 43 products.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use WATER:

Drinking water. Used to hydrate the proteins present in the flour to form the gluten network and contribute to the dough extensibility and smoothness. In addition, water gelatinizes the flours and other cereals starch, stabilizing the baked dough’s final structure.

Notes

The quality control and surveillance procedures of water for human consumption and its potability standards are discussed in the Annex XX of Ministry of Health Consolidation Decree no. 5, of September 28th, 2017.

In the sample of 56 pizzas analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 3 products use egg.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use EGG:

Whole chicken egg and yolk, used to give flavor

to different types of pizza and, due to its emulsifying capacity, enhances the dough structure, leafing it more aerated and smooth.

Notes

Eggs are considered as a healthy, complete, nutritive food, and with good digestion.

In the sample of 56 pizzas analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 37 products use sugar.

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use SUGAR:

Common sugar or sucrose and glucose, glucose or dextrose, used in the pizza dough to improve leavening, give color during baking (maillard and caramelization) and to give texture and crunchiness to the dough.

Notes

Sucrose is produced by extraction and concentration, while glucose is obtained by the starch hydrolysis, especially corn.

In the sample of 56 pizzas analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 54 products use SODIUM CHLORIDE.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use SALT:

Kitchen salt (Sodium Chloride), used to give flavor, but also to enhance the dough’s gluten network.

Notes

Salt with low-sodium content (“light salt”) is potassium chloride, KCI can also be used to reduce the sodium

content in pizzas.

In a sample of 56 pizzas analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 44 products use biological yeast.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use BIOLOGICAL YEAST:

Composed of Saccharomyces cerevisiae leaven cells, and there is a variety of leavens that can give flavor and

differentiated texture to the pizza dough (“Massa Madre”). It is the agent responsible for the pizza dough leavening.

Notes

Yeasts are classified as technology supporting agents. They do not need to be stated in the label’s ingredients list because 100% of the leavening cells are inactivated during the dough pre-baking process.

In the sample of 56 pizzas analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 4 products that use powdered milk.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use POWDERED MILK:

Milk marketed as a powder, which can be reconstituted with water to become liquid milk. It is used to regulate the dough consistency, to give flavor and color and to give softness to the dough.

Notes

Ingredient used in creams and dressings.