Textured soy protein (TSP) as pizza topping

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the stability of chicken flavored textured soy protein (TSP) substitution for chicken meat in pizza toppings. Design/methodology/approach – TSP obtained from defatted soy flour was used to replace chicken at 25, 50 and 100 percent level in the pizza toppings. Patent grade wheat flour, TSP, boiled chicken, cheese, pizza shell and whole pizza were subjected to chemical analysis. Rheological properties of patent grade wheat flour were assessed by mixograph and farinograph. A panel of judges assessed sensory characteristics of pizza topping and whole pizza. Findings – Moisture, ash and protein contents of the whole pizza showed a rise when the amount of TSP was increased, while fat content decreased slightly with increase in TSP content. Mixographic studies showed 6 min mixing time and 44 percent peak height. The farinographic studies revealed water absorption, arrival time, dough development time, departure time and dough stability as 63.6 percent, 1.5, 8.5, 13.3 and 11.8 min, respectively. The pizza that contained 25 percent TSP in the topping formulation possessed improved aroma, color, flavor and after taste characteristics. Whole pizza containing 25 percent soy protein and the standard pizza having 100 percent chicken in the topping were ranked similar in sensory qualities. Best sensory quality of topping was also for 25 percent TSP incorporation. Statistical analysis showed that pizza prepared with 25 percent TSP were highly acceptable. Practical implications – The steadily increasing costs of animal proteins have compelled the food industry to focus attention on the low cost vegetable sources of protein. Soybeans are so versatile that they can be processed into flour, lecithin, oil, protein concentrates, isolated proteins, hydrolyzed proteins and textured protein and can be incorporated in meat and meat products as a relatively cheap protein source compared to expensive protein of animal origin. Originality/value – The paper's findings may used by the pizza industry to replace the chicken in topping with TSP for vegetarians.