Like other pizza restaurants, Pizza Hut primarily uses mozzarella cheese on its pizzas. The chain states that it uses part-skim mozzarella cheese on the majority of its pizzas. Some of its specialty pizzas contain Parmesan romano cheese. Pizza Hut's cheese supplier has addressed past concerns over the cheese's ingredients. Essentially, there is little difference between Pizza Hut's mozzarella and regular mozzarella.
Pizza Hut Mozzarella Cheese
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Most chains of Pizza Hut use the brand Leprino Foods for their mozzarella cheese. Leprino Foods is a company based in Colorado and the largest mozzarella cheese producer in the world, according to the company's website. Pizza Hut states that its pizzas contain part-skim mozzarella cheese, also called pizza cheese. Leprino Foods does not list the ingredients of its lite mozzarella cheese, but Pizza Hut reports that the cheese consists of pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, modified food starch, whey protein concentrate, nonfat milk and sodium propionate.
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Polydimethylsiloxane Controversy
A report by the magazine "The Milkwood" in 2006 suggested that Leprino Foods' mozzarella cheese uses polydimethylsiloxane, a silicone industrial chemical. This silicone ingredient is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in food. "The Milkwood" looked at a patent from 1988 in which Leprino Foods stated its ingredients and process of making pizza cheese. However, Leprino Foods states that no such chemical is used in the processing of its mozzarella cheese and that Leprino Foods fully complies with FDA regulations.
Regular Mozzarella Cheese
Mozzarella cheese is available in part-skim, fat-free or whole milk varieties. You also can purchase fresh mozzarella cheese in a block that you grate or shred yourself or obtain preshredded mozzarella cheese. Many chefs and high-end pizzerias use whole milk mozzarella cheese because it melts better and has a richer flavor. Whole milk mozzarella can be difficult to find and usually is not available at your local grocery store, so many people use part-skim mozzarella cheese, just like Pizza Hut.
Nutrition
Part-skim mozzarella cheese has less fat and calories than whole-milk mozzarella cheese. A quarter cup serving of shredded part-skim mozzarella has 90 calories and 6 grams of total fat. Mozzarella cheese has no carbohydrates and is a good source of protein, with nearly 8 grams per serving. Part-skim mozzarella usually does not have any cholesterol but does have approximately 210 milligrams of sodium. Mozzarella cheese also contains vitamin A and is an excellent source of calcium.