Editing Pizza cheese (section)

==Research and development==
[[File:Cheese-pizza-20150207-012.jpg|thumb|A cheese pizza]]

Manufacturers and academics have conducted studies and experiments in an effort to improve the stretchiness, melting characteristics, browning, fat content and water retention of pizza cheese.<ref name="AJDT-2012"/> Several [[patent]]s exist for specialized varieties of pizza cheese and for its processing.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US4085228 | title=Preparation of Pizza Cheese | publisher=United States Patent and Trademark Office | date=April 18, 1978 | access-date=September 27, 2012 | last=Reinbold | display-authors=etal }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US6113953 | title=Manufacture of lower-fat and fat-free pizza cheese (Patent #6113953) | publisher=Google Patents | access-date=October 11, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://patents.google.com/patent/EP0920259A1/en | title=Pizza cheese (Patent # EP0920259A1) | publisher=Google Patents | access-date=October 11, 2012}}</ref> A study by Rudan and Barbano found that the addition of a thin layer of vegetable oil atop low- and reduced-fat pizza cheese increased meltability and reduced browning and dehydration when the product was cooked, but the texture remained overly chewy and tough.<ref name="TechnologyofCheesemaking"/> A study by Perry et al. found various methods to heighten the melt of low-fat pizza cheese by increasing its moisture, including the use of pre-acidification, fat-replacers, and exopolysaccharide starter cultures as well as higher pasteurization temperatures.<ref name="TechnologyofCheesemaking"/>

Manufacturers aim for a moisture content of 50–52% and a fat-in-dry-matter content of 35–40%.<ref name="one">{{cite web | url=http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/5451223/whey-proteins-pizza-cheese | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216000629/http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/5451223/whey-proteins-pizza-cheese | url-status=dead | archive-date=2016-02-16 | title=Whey proteins and pizza cheese | publisher=Dairy Industries International | work=Vol. 66 Issue 9 | date=September 2001 | access-date=September 28, 2012 | page=16 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> A study published in the ''International Journal of Food & Science Technology'' found that a 12.5:87.5 blend of [[vetch]] milk and cow milk improved stretchiness and melting characteristics.<ref>{{citation|title=Preparation and evaluation of pizza cheese made from blend of vetch–bovine milk|date=September 11, 2007|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2621.2006.01512.x|volume=43|issue=5|journal=International Journal of Food Science|pages=770–778|last1 = Piggott|first1 = John R.|last2=Ahmad|first2=Muhammad Mushtaq|last3=Hussain|first3=Sarfraz|last4=Ahmad|first4=Nasir|last5=Owusu-Darko|first5=Patricia}}</ref> Vetch is a [[legume]] that has seeds which are similar to lentils.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/R-D/Vetch-blend-shows-promise-as-low-fat-pizza-topping | title=Vetch blend shows sromise as low-fat pizza topping | publisher=William Reed Business Media | date=September 14, 2007 | access-date=February 16, 2016 | author=Halliday, Jess | archive-date=July 28, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728102049/https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2007/09/14/Vetch-blend-shows-promise-as-low-fat-pizza-topping | url-status=dead }}</ref> An experiment published in the ''International Journal of Dairy Technology'' suggested that the level of [[galactose]], a [[monosaccharide]] [[Carbohydrate|sugar]] that is less [[sweetness|sweet]] than [[glucose]] and [[fructose]], can be reduced using different culture techniques.<ref name="Baskaran November 2003"/> An article in the ''International Journal of Food Engineering'' found that [[trisodium citrate]], a [[food additive]] used to preserve and add flavor to foods, slightly improved the preferred qualities of pizza cheese.<ref name="Farahmandfar 2010"/> Research published in ''Dairy Industries International'' suggested that denatured whey proteins increased moisture retention, but that the improvements were very slight and not economically worthwhile relative to the minor improvements.<ref name="one"/>

Some consumers prefer pizza cheese with less browning, which can be achieved using low-moisture part-skim mozzarella with a low galactose content.<ref name="Baskaran November 2003"/><ref group="nb">Galactose is a type of [[sugar]] found in [[dairy product]]s and other foods that is less sweet than glucose. Sugar in foods can lead to [[caramelization]] when they are cooked, which increases their browning.</ref> Some varieties derived from skim mozzarella variants were designed not to require aging or the use of [[fermentation starter]].<ref name="McMahon">{{cite web | url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US6113953 | title=Manufacture of Lower-fat and Fat-free Pizza Cheese | publisher=United States Patent and Trademark Office | date=September 5, 2000 | access-date=September 28, 2012 | last=McMahon |display-authors=etal}}</ref> Others can be produced through the direct acidification of milk, which may be used in place of bacterial [[Fermentation in food processing|fermentation]].<ref name="McMahon"/><ref name="JDS-1964"/>