Development and quality evaluation of egg-based pizza

Studies were conducted to develop a highly acceptable egg-based pizza by evaluating 9 egg-crust formulations which consisted of either various albumen: yolk ratios, whole egg, foamed all-albumen or albumen with various texture improving ingredients like refined wheat flour, skim milk solids or refined vegetable oil. All formulations were baked at 180°C for 5 minutes and evaluated for yield, proximate composition, microbiological and sensory properties. Sensory evaluation showed that foamed all-albumen (98% liquid albumen), albumen-flour-oil (80, 13 and 5%) and albumen-skim milk solids-oil (81, 7 and 10%) crust were perceived as best in overall acceptability, although foamed all-albumen crust pizza was marginally rated highest among the three formulations. All-albumen and albumen-flour formulations were lower in lipid content, while no differences were found in protein content and % yield among formulation groups. Aerobic plate counts ranged from log 2.93 to 3.26/g with small but significant differences among treatn ents. Thiobarbituric acid test, microbiological and sensory analysis of foamed all-albumen crust pizza indicated a refrigerated (5±1° C) shelf-life of 6 days in vacuum and 4 days in aerobic packaging without any adverse effect on quality attributes.