Browning of Mozzarella Cheese During High Temperature Pizza Baking

The objective of this study was to evaluate various properties of low browning Mozzarella cheese. Low moisture, part skim type Mozzarella cheese was made using strains of Streptococcus spp. and Lactobacillus helveticus that release inappreciable amounts of galactose into the cheese curd and was compared with high browning cheese made using cultures that release galactose into the curd. Cheese composition differed only for galactose content. The browning potentials of the cheeses were significantly different. Pizzas were made using 125 g of each cheese type and evaluated for appearance, texture, and flavor by a consumer panel. Panelists could distinguish between pizza samples based on color of the baked pizza, although no differences or preferences based on any of the other criteria were discernible. Both brown and low browned pizza were acceptable by the panelists, indicating that browning of Mozzarella cheese on pizza was not an undesirable property.