Pizza Perfect
Technology is key to better pepperoni and sausage toppings, but so is sticking to the manufacturing basics
by Larry Aylward and Ken Krizner
Pizza is one of America's great loves with regional appeal. More than 50,000 pizza stores are located in the United States, according to Restaurant Consulting Group Inc., with about one-fifth of those stores concentrated in the Midwest.
Pepperoni and sausage toppings manufacturers continue to strive for a better product through new technology-but not at the expense of sacrificing venerable recipes.
They aren't doing anything radically different to achieve better product, but they are trying to enhance taste, performance and manufacturing capabilities.
Pepperoni: The fat issue
Mike Grazier, general manager of Fresno, Calif.-based Rapelli of California, manufacturer of pepperoni as a pizza topping, points out that the war on fat has escalated on the pepperoni front.
"Some companies are touting soy isolates, which have recently been approved and just may be the technological bridge between the producer's need for lower costs and the market's need for lower fat," Grazier insists.
The drying process, of course, is a significant component in the manufacturing of pepperoni. One processing equipment company spokesman says some companies are attempting to develop casings that will allow water to pass through more quickly to help speed the process.
Pepperoni manufacturers are also on the hunt for machines that slice product with strict precision. One food-processing equipment supplier recently introduced a USDA-approved machine to aid in the manufacturing process.
The machine employs two independent slicing heads that hold uncut pepperoni. The slicing heads use a electrohydraulic motion control to match head actuation with the position of the moving pizza crusts as they approach on a conveyor.
Diffusion sensors detect reflected signals from pizza crusts on the conveyor as they approach the slicing heads. After the sensor detects a crust, the controller counts down to the moment the crust is directly under a head. The pepperoni is then automatically sliced onto the pizza using a 1,000-psi hydraulic system.
The result is a consistent pattern and placement of pepperoni slices that stay consistent with accurate portion and weight control, the company claims. The machine also eliminates manual adjustments.
The basics
Age-old advice comes from Wilhelm Czeranna, a Detroit-based German sausage maker and veteran industry consultant, who points out that patience is the crucial critical control point involved in the manufacturing of pepperoni as a pizza topping.
"Follow the basics," Czeranna says, when asked for processing advice. That may mean maintaining stuffing temperature between 28 degrees and 30 degrees F to keep the moisture in the product, he adds.
Grazier says the process in achieving quality pepperoni for pizza is keyed by a maker's insistence for quality raw ingredients and consistency in process control.
"Pepperoni must perform under a variety of cooking applications-no cupping, charring or burning," Grazier says. "Particle definition must be even and consistent, with absence of smear in the finished product."
Processing techniques must be specific to avoid cupping and protein build-up in the meat paste, he notes.
"Short stuffing horns are also necessary, and proper blending techniques are important to avoid 'overworking' the meat and developing bind, which can lead to product cupping," Grazier adds.
Stuffing horns are an important part of the process. A spokesperson for a supplier of pepperoni casings says some manufacturers remain traditional and opt to stuff one casing at a time, utilizing a larger stuffing horn.
"Manufacturers feel they get a better product by using individual casings," he adds.
Other manufacturers are turning more to automation, and are utilizing shirred casings matched with three stuffing horns.
Normally, a stuffing horn is smaller in diameter and longer when it's paired with shirred casings. Some critics say smaller horns and shirred casings can lead to smear on product.
Shirred casings are gaining in popularity because pepperoni processors are asking for faster machines that produce quality product and reduce carpal tunnel syndrome as well, according to a stuffing equipment manufacturer.
Pressure is on pepperoni makers to serve up quality product for pizza makers, including frozen-food operators such as Glenview, Ill.-based Tombstone Pizza Corp., a subsidiary of Kraft General Foods.
"We measure our supplier against the attributes we have asked them to deliver-consistency in flavor profile, color and performance in the manufacturing process and the consumer's oven," says Cathy Pernu, spokesperson for Kraft USA.
"We audit our suppliers' operations and expect that they have in place the same quality measures found in our own facilities to protect food safety and ensure product performance," she adds. "Upon delivery, we expect a certificate of analysis to confirm that the product as received meets our specifications."
Austin, Minn.-based Hormel Foods Corp. is one of the country's largest pepperoni makers for pizza toppings. According to the company, the process of creating pepperoni involves "carefully weighing, measuring and mixing a consistent blend" of spices, which are added and ground into select cuts of pork and beef.
"After mixing and curing, the meat is placed in casings and a carefully controlled air-drying process starts that may take from 10 days to three months or longer, depending on the diameter of the pepperoni," a spokesperson from Hormel claims.
Overall, Grazier expects this highly competitive segment of the meat industry to keep on sizzling.
"As oven technology continues to advance, the performance criteria of pepperoni will always be challenged," he adds.
Like pepperoni, sausage topping is expected to remain popular. While everybody may love sausage, not everybody loves the same sausage. And sausage loved in Kalamazoo, Mich., is different from sausage loved in Dallas. Sausage recipes are as unique as the Old World villages in which many were born, featuring unique spices, ingredients and casings. Sausage recipes are among the most closely guarded cuisine secrets.
Sausage toppings on pizza has long been an American favorite, but the pizza pie has become crowded. Not only does sausage have to contend with traditional rivals-pepperoni, mushrooms and anchovies-but new toppings like shrimp, broccoli and tomatoes, as well.
Making pizza sausage
Chunk sausage is a product pizza makers have wanted and consumers have craved for the past decade. To produce chunk sausage, processors use specialized extruders, some of which can make chunks in the random shapes generally preferred on pizzas.
It can then be cooked in a kettle-usually a steam-jacketed blender with a scrape surface agitator or a steam-jacketed, thermal-screw conveyor.
Some companies use convection ovens. Good product yields can be achieved by mixing to extract the proteins, which will encapsulate the fat. If sold as sausage, the product may contain textured soy protein at 3 percent of the total meat mixture. If sold as a pizza topping, the textured soy protein can be increased to 30 percent of the total meat mixture. In this case, water is added in a 1:1 ratio with the soy protein.
Regular pork trimmings are ground through a 3/16-inch plate and thoroughly mixed with salt and spices. Some water is added to improve handling prior to and during cooking. However, excess water will reduce yields.
The topping is cooked to a final temperature of 160 degrees F, drained, chilled, packed in plastic lined boxes, frozen and shipped to pizza manufacturers.
Casing facts
Casing is another important factor in sausage toppings. Processors maintain that the casing must be processed so it can easily peel.
"It has to be a light, peelable coating because you want it to adhere," notes the R&D manager of one casing supplier. "If it starts releasing too early, you get fat pockets, and you do not get a good product.
"But yet when it comes time to release, you want it to come off easy. It is a tough balancing act for casing manufacturers," he adds.
This manager believes that the casing industry will eventually have to examine shirred casings on a widespread scale.
Another casing manufacturer agrees, pointing out that uniformity and portion control are essential so that the sausage can "perform well" in the pizza oven and avoid melting into grease when exposed to an oven's high temperature.
He notes the casing is stuffed at low temperatures to avoid smearing, using the largest stuffing horns the casing will allow.
The larger diameter horns require cut casings, which means the casing may need to be hand-loaded onto the machine.
Other critical factors include the starter culture, with a controlled pH; and the drying room, where sausages can stay for up to three weeks to achieve precise and uniform moisture levels without drying out.
One sausage processor says establishing a drying room "may take weeks or months" because it is difficult to test sample batches. "The room should be full of products to see how it will perform during a commercial operation," he says.