Assessing the Baking Characteristics of Mozzarella and Pizza Cheeses

Mozzarella/Pizza cheese is considered an important specialty cheese since it can be consumed directly or as an ingredient in other food products. It exhibits functional properties inclusive of baking properties such as shredability, meltability, fat leakage, stretchability, browning, etc. during their end use application in food. Assessing such properties of cheese is of significance since the cheese users at the restaurants and even the varied connoisseurs of cheese have ‘whims and wishes’ that the cheese should perform in a specific manner during their utility. The modification in the cheese making processes and the development of novelty cheese demands accurate functionality tests and the cheese-makers are required to correlate such data with their end use application. In this Review, the assessment of baking properties of Mozzarella and/or Pizza cheese using recommended procedures have been illustrated as a ready reckoner for the cheese makers.