Patrick Oconnell
Pizza Hut is a popular pizza chain that primarily uses part-skim mozzarella cheese on its pizzas. This variety of mozzarella is also known as pizza cheese and is supplied by Leprino Foods, the largest mozzarella cheese producer in the world. The part-skim variety has less fat and calories than whole-milk mozzarella and is commonly used in American-style pizzas due to its extremely stretchy texture. Pizza Hut's cheese supplier has addressed concerns over the ingredients in the past, and the chain confirmed that its cheeses are made with Chymax™, a microbial rennet or enzyme.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of Cheese | Mozzarella |
| Type of Mozzarella | Part-skim |
| Fat Content | Low |
| Supplier | Leprino Foods |
| Rennet | Chymax (microbial) |
| Additional Cheese | Parmesan Romano |
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What You'll Learn
Pizza Hut uses skim milk mozzarella in the US
Pizza Hut uses skim milk mozzarella in the United States. This variety of mozzarella is also called "part-skim" or "low-moisture" mozzarella. It is made with pasteurized skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, modified food starch, whey protein concentrate, and nonfat.
Skim milk mozzarella is known for its stretchy texture, which makes it ideal for pizza cheese. However, it may lose some flavour as a trade-off for its stretchiness. More expensive pizzerias tend to use full-fat mozzarella cheese, which has a richer flavour and melts better. Full-fat mozzarella is also harder to find in grocery stores and typically has a shorter shelf life.
Pizza Hut sources its skim milk mozzarella from Leprino Foods, a Colorado-based company that is the largest mozzarella cheese producer in the world. Leprino Foods supplies several other major US chains and packaged food manufacturers, and its mozzarella is also known as "pizza cheese".
In addition to mozzarella, Pizza Hut uses a specially blended mix of Parmesan cheese and spices, known as "fairy dust," which is automatically sprinkled on all pizzas. Customers can request that the "fairy dust" be left off their pizzas if desired.
Pizza Hut's cheese is made with Chymax™, a microbial rennet or fermentation product used to curdle the milk during cheese production. This microbial ingredient ensures that the cheese is suitable for vegetarians.
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Mozzarella is low-moisture in the US
Pizza Hut uses skim milk mozzarella on its pizzas in the US. Skim milk mozzarella is stretchy but may lack some flavour. More expensive pizzerias tend to use full-fat mozzarella.
Mozzarella in the US is typically "low-moisture" (45-52% water). This type of mozzarella is dried, aged, and sold in blocks instead of balls, with a much longer shelf life than "fresh" mozzarella. Low-moisture mozzarella is harder to find in grocery stores, as it is usually sold in bulk to restaurants. It is also harder to shred at home, as it must be bought in blocks and shredded by hand.
Mozzarella cheese is available in part-skim, fat-free, or whole milk varieties. Part-skim mozzarella has less fat and fewer calories than whole-milk mozzarella. A quarter-cup serving of shredded part-skim mozzarella has 90 calories and 6 grams of total fat. It also usually does not contain any cholesterol, but it does have approximately 210 milligrams of sodium.
Pizza Hut uses part-skim mozzarella cheese on most of its pizzas. Some specialty pizzas contain Parmesan romano cheese. The company has stated that its mozzarella consists of pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, modified food starch, whey protein concentrate, and nonfat ingredients.
Pizza Hut's cheese is supplied by Leprino Foods, which is based in Colorado and claims to be the largest mozzarella cheese producer in the world. Leprino Foods supplies several other major US chains and packaged food manufacturers. However, the company has been accused of using polydimethylsiloxane, a silicone industrial chemical, in its mozzarella cheese. Leprino Foods has denied these claims and states that it fully complies with FDA regulations.
All Pizza Hut cheeses are made with Chymax, a microbial rennet. This is a non-animal enzyme used to curdle the milk during cheese production.
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Leprino Foods supplies Pizza Hut's mozzarella
Pizza Hut uses skim milk mozzarella on its pizzas in the USA. Skim milk mozzarella is stretchy but may lack some flavour. Most of the chain's pizzas contain part-skim mozzarella, also known as pizza cheese.
Leprino Foods, a company based in Colorado, is the largest mozzarella cheese producer in the world and supplies Pizza Hut with mozzarella. The company also supplies several other major US chains and packaged food manufacturers. Leprino Foods does not sell retail.
In 2006, a report by the magazine "The Milkwood" suggested that Leprino Foods' mozzarella cheese uses polydimethylsiloxane, a silicone industrial chemical. However, Leprino Foods has denied this, stating that they fully comply with FDA regulations.
Pizza Hut has stated that its cheese is made with a non-animal enzyme, specifically Chymax, a microbial fermentation product used to curdle the milk during cheese production.
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Leprino mozzarella may contain an unapproved silicone ingredient
Pizza Hut uses skim milk mozzarella on its pizzas in the USA. The cheese is supplied by Leprino Foods, the largest mozzarella cheese producer in the world. Leprino Foods supplies several other major US chains and packaged food manufacturers.
Leprino Foods has denied the use of polydimethylsiloxane in its mozzarella cheese, stating that the company fully complies with FDA regulations. However, in 2009, The Recent Future reported that Leprino's Pizza Cheese supplied to Pizza Huts contains about 900 parts per million of Polymethylsiloxane, which is 90 times higher than the residue concentration allowed by the FDA for boiler water anti-foaming agents.
The potential presence of unapproved silicone ingredients in Leprino's mozzarella cheese has sparked concerns among consumers, with some claiming that it is a violation of FDA rules to use unapproved ingredients in human foods. However, others have argued that the use of scary-sounding chemical names does not necessarily indicate dangerous substances, and that many common foods contain chemicals with harmless effects.
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Pizza Hut cheeses are made with microbial rennet
Pizza Hut uses part-skim mozzarella cheese on most of its pizzas. Some of its specialty pizzas also contain Parmesan romano cheese. The chain's cheese supplier has addressed past concerns over the ingredients used in the cheese. Pizza Hut has stated that its cheese consists of pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, modified food starch, whey protein concentrate, and nonfat. Notably, Pizza Hut cheeses are made with Chymax™, a microbial rennet.
Chymax™ is the brand name of the microbial fermentation product used to curdle the milk during cheese production. In 2010, The VRG received confirmation from a source at Pizza Hut that the enzyme used to make the cheese was microbial. The source approached many companies along the supply chain, eventually reaching the cheesemaker itself. This information contradicted what a representative had told The VRG in 2008, claiming that animal rennet was used to make the cheese. However, considering that microbial rennet accounted for 80-95% of all enzymes used in cheese-making in the United States, it was more likely that Pizza Hut cheeses were made with microbial rennet.
Pizza Hut's cheese supplier, Leprino Foods, has faced controversy over the use of polydimethylsiloxane, a silicone industrial chemical, in its mozzarella cheese. However, Leprino Foods has denied these claims, stating that they fully comply with FDA regulations. Leprino Foods is the largest mozzarella cheese producer in the world and supplies cheese to several major restaurant chains.
Mozzarella cheese used by Pizza Hut is typically part-skim mozzarella, which has less fat and calories than whole-milk mozzarella. Part-skim mozzarella usually does not contain any cholesterol but has approximately 210 milligrams of sodium per serving. It is important to note that whole milk mozzarella can be challenging to find in grocery stores, and most mozzarella available to consumers is of the part-skim variety.
Pizza Hut's use of microbial rennet in its cheeses is an important consideration for vegetarians and those concerned about the ingredients in their food. The company's confirmation that its cheeses are made with Chymax™, a microbial rennet, provides transparency and assurance to its customers.
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Frequently asked questions
Pizza Hut primarily uses part-skim mozzarella cheese on its pizzas. This is also known as 'pizza cheese' and is supplied by Leprino Foods.
Yes, Pizza Hut cheeses are made with Chymax, a microbial rennet.
Pizza Hut mozzarella is part-skim, which has less fat and fewer calories than whole-milk mozzarella.
Low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella is best for homemade pizza, as it melts better and has a richer flavour.
Some Pizza Hut speciality pizzas contain Parmesan romano cheese. There is also a specially-blended mix of Parmesan cheese and spices, known as 'fairy dust', which is sprinkled on all pizzas unless customers request it be left off.
