Technical Solutions: Make a Better Pizza

The expression “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” applies to most things in life: the success of a sports team, a group project and yes, even an application. We believe that any application or recipe is only as good as the quality of the ingredients and how they are combined.

One of our favorite foods here at Nikken is pizza. Thick, thin, gooey and loaded with toppings, pizza is to us the quintessentially perfect meal. And it is seemingly simple in its formulation. Crust, tomato sauce, assorted toppings, and cheese all are layered in perfect harmony to create synergistic flavors and balanced textures. The sum of pizza’s ingredients is definitely greater than its parts, but can it be improved?

Ultimate Umami

We set out to improve pizza, an already great thing, by dialing up the umami factor. We started with the dough, which can make or break a pizza. Some crusts can be bland and lifeless, only serving as the vehicle for the toppings. Believing the crust can accomplish so much more, we experimented in the lab to give dough a shot of umami. By adding either our Umami Medleys® 7501 or 7502 to the pizza dough formulation, we were able to achieve a 25% reduction in sodium with flavorful results.

While the crust alone could elevate a pizza to the next level, we didn’t want to stop there. The sauce was our next target and we found that adding our Roasted Chinese Cabbage Extract Powder 2310 and Roasted Garlic Extract Powder 2355 takes a tomato based pizza sauce to otherworldly levels of YUM and a touch of honey brings a sweetness that your consumers will crave.

Actually, our ingredients can bring umami to most applications but why not start with pizza? Request samples of the Nikken ingredients used with our crust and sauce recipes in your test kitchen. Your colleagues will be lining up around the office for a taste!