Someone told me once that pizza is the ultimate food. It contains all 5 food groups: fruits/vegetables, starch, dairy, protein and fat. In product development classes, pizza was the go-to meal when creating portable snacks, feeding a family of five and nourishing those in need. Although pizza is a quick and easy morsel for the consumer, the complexity spins most food developers heads when it comes to plant-based pizzas.

Pizza is comprised of multiple components including the crust, sauce, cheese and protein toppings. When combined together, water and oil, when not bound, tend to migrate in different directions. Throw in refrigeration and freeze/thaw storage, pizza stability and texture risks quality issues. Plant based pizzas are not exempted from these dilemmas. These products tend to have their own challenges.

Building the Foundation: Pizza Crust and Sauce

For instance, pizza crust serves as the foundation. Today, there are a variety of crusts available catering to various diet requirements such as gluten-free, keto and low-carb. Many of the base flours used do not contain gluten. Because of this the pizza crust lacks binding. Crusts tend to crack and separate or turn soggy depending on the flour bases used. Some of these bases such as starch-based gluten-free flours or cauliflower need binding power to hold it all together.

Citri-Fi citrus fiber, at <1% usage level, holds a lot of water especially in bakery products like pizza crusts. This natural ingredient works synergistically with starches and gums to create a pizza crust that stands up in heat. Citri-Fi shines most in freeze/thaw conditions. This citrus fiber binds the water to prevent water migration during freeze/thaw cycles. As a result, the pizza crust remains intact and produces a tender bite after baking.

Another component of plant based pizzas that tend to use water and oil binders is sauce. Although red sauce is the gold standard, today the culinary world introduced everyone to new sauce options. The market now offers pesto, white cheese and even butternut squash sauces. And like the conventional red sauce, these sauces require viscosity and stability to maintain texture. Citri-Fi citrus fiber’s water holding and emulsification at <1% usage level stabilizes the sauce while creating the natural thick texture. And because of its functional benefits, it keeps the water and oil in the sauce instead of leaking into the crust and toppings. Due to the recent starch and food gum supply limitations, Citri-Fi is an ideal substitute.

Dairy-free Pizza Cheese - Meltability

The crust and sauce typically are plant based. The more challenging components of a pizza are dairy-free cheeses and plant-based meats. Dairy-free cheeses do not contain animal-based casein which creates that gooey meltable texture when heated. Because of this, plant-based cheeses have limited melt-ability. This significantly affects not only the visual but also the mouthfeel and texture. Developers combine a melting pot of ingredients (no pun intended) such as starches, food gums, plant proteins and fibers to improve shred, spread and melt.

One solution available includes Citri-Fi when used at <1%. As mentioned, this natural ingredient binds water and emulsifies. As a result, the cheese holds onto the water and oil during refrigeration to prevent water migration or oil purge. Citri-Fi can also work synergistically with other plant-based ingredients to create a smooth and melt-able plant cheese.

Plant-based Meats Texture the Top

Lastly, plant-based meats topped on pizzas typically are pepperoni or sausage bites. Pepperoni meat alternatives tend to lack moisture and fall apart. Using the Citri-Fi 100 line at <1%, developers can create pepperoni slices that bind the water which improves the stability and moist texture. On the other hand, sausage bites typically have soft texture and lack the chew similar to their animal-based counterparts. When using Citri-Fi TX texturizing citrus fiber, product developers can create sausage pieces with more meat-like texture. The Citri-Fi 100 line can also be used in conjunction with Citri-Fi TX to bind the water and oil to produce the succulence.

In the end, Citri-Fi citrus fiber is a versatile formulating tool for plant based pizzas. This natural ingredient’s ability to hold water and emulsification, solves many challenges when creating the crust, sauce, dairy-free cheese and meat alternatives.

Citri-Fi is non-GMO Project certified, gluten-free and allergen-free. Labeling options include citrus fiber, dried citrus pulp or citrus flour which resonate well in the clean label market. Citri-Fi also have no E-number which is favorable in food markets like Europe.

For information about creating plant based pizzas, please contact us.