HOW INTERNET WATER CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN PIZZA RESTAURANTS

Ask any Indian about Italian cuisine, the first dish that pops up in minds of many is pizza! In India, pizza has a big fan following. Pizza is popular in India because it is simple to make, quick to prepare, adaptable to the Indian palate, and well marketed all over. According to a recent study performed by Dineout in 20 locations, the food item that the majority of Indians missed the most during the lockdown was pizza.

Everyone, especially those in the urban cities in India, leads a hectic lifestyle and prefer fast food to fine dining on a regular basis because of the quick service. India’s middle class and young population are growing rapidly, and this has led to the success and boom in the fast-food industry.

The pizza market in India is worth over Rs 1,500 crores and has been growing at a consumer annual growth rate of 26% for the last 5 years. In the pizza market, Domino’s has captured over 55% of the share in the organized pizza market and 70% in the home delivery category. There are many other pizza outlets such as Pizza Hut, Sbarro, Pizza Corner, and Slice of Italy that have expanded their reach in India. As the popularity of authentic pizza continues to soar, pizza lovers everywhere are searching for top-quality ingredients to craft their artisanal pies. One ingredient that’s often overlooked, however, is water. Water quality and consistency are integral to making a consistently good pizza. Most pizzerias rely on a commercial water purifier for their water.

Is Good Pizza Really All About the Water?

Most people are unaware that there are different types of water, each with unique properties that affect the taste and texture of your pizza crust, and the sauce. The hardness of your water will vary greatly depending on whether it comes from deep underground wells, or lakes, or rivers. There are fewer minerals in the water that is pulled from the surface (soft water). Hard water is water that comes from deeper wells, mountain springs, and has a higher calcium concentration.

Varying water quality may make your crust chewier, or crunchy, and may even affect the color of your dough! Flour, yeast, and water are all you need to make the perfect pizza dough. However, if these three elements don't come together perfectly, working with your dough will be tough, either due to a lack of moisture or too much liquid, which will cause the entire mixture to be imbalanced! Depending on how wet or dry the dough has to be, different pizza recipes call for different proportions of water. To effectively adjust this variable, you must first know what kind of water you're using, as water composition varies greatly depending on where you live.

How Water Affects Pizza Dough

Water is a crucial component in the preparation of pizza. Aside from the water and flour ratio (humidity level) in the dough recipe, the type of water you use in pizza-making can have a big impact on the outcome. The truth is that the consistency of your pizza dough will be highly influenced by the sort of water used in its preparation. Water has three characteristics to consider: acidity, purity, and hardness. The pH level of water determines its acidity, which has an impact on the fermentation process in the dough. Hard water has a higher alkaline content than soft water, which might reduce yeast activity. Water with a slightly acidic pH is ideal for baking pizzas. For pizza baking, water with a pH of slightly lower than 7 is preferred.

Pure water is also preferred in the pizza-making process. If the water has a lot of chlorine in it, it can harm the dough culture. Many pizzerias overcome this problem by leaving water out overnight, uncovered, to allow the chlorine to evaporate. Others are willing to pay more for bottled water in order to get consistent outcomes. However, because not all bottled waters are made equal, it's critical to be able to verify their acidity, purity, and hardness before utilizing them in any of your recipes.

Another crucial component in the preparation of pizza is the TDS level in the water. Water hardness describes the amount of calcium and magnesium ions in waters. This is measured in parts per million, or ppm(units of TDS). Hard water has more than 200ppm, while soft water has less than 50ppm. For dough preparation, water is required with a medium hardness of 100 to 150 ppm. The mineral level of the water must be sufficient to feed the yeast and aid in the fermentation process (otherwise the dough will be slack). However, if the water is excessively hard, the fermentation pace will be slowed, and the fermentation will be tightened. The dough will be tougher than expected as a result of this. (source: pizzauniversity.org)  The primary reason for measuring the TDS in water is to determine the water's overall quality. TDS levels above a certain point in water indicate the presence of chemicals and contaminants that could be harmful to one's health. As a result, it is critical to check the TDS level in water on a regular basis. Also, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) correlates positively with conductivity and affects pH. The higher the TDS, the higher the conductivity and the lower the pH, towards acidity(source: iosjournal.org). It is critical to have a uniform TDS level in order to maintain the taste and quality.

What water should you choose for Pizza?

If all of this seems too overwhelming, the option used extensively today is activated carbon filtered water from a traditional commercial water purifier. Purified water has no/low chlorine and activated carbon doesn’t remove the good minerals.

Before investing in a commercial water purifier for your pizza restaurant business, check to see how the TDS level of water can be monitored, to give you consistent taste and quality.  There is little evidence to show that today's commercial RO plants have any foolproof method of validating  TDS  level and performance. There is no way to know if a commercial water purifier is producing pathogen-free water within prescribed TDS levels until the filters become clogged and restrict water supply or the taste of the water changes.  Following are problems associated with traditional water purifiers

Fluctuating TDS levels

Another issue with RO systems is their inability to deal with fluctuating T DS levels in water owing to mixed water supply sources. The problem is compounded when a pizza restaurant has multiple outlets, making it impractical to check purity and TDS levels across multiple locations. It is critical to understand that changing TDS levels in water have a direct impact on the taste of pizzas provided in that establishment.

Uncertainty about the Purity of Water

With commercial RO water purification systems, there is no way to guarantee the levels of water purity. RO systems do not aid in the total removal of pathogens, and clogged RO membranes can cause terrible taste and foul odor in addition to breeding dangerous pathogens within the membrane.

High Cost of Investment and Ongoing Maintenance Costs

Traditional RO plants come with a high cost of investment and require you to have a considerable budget to cover maintenance costs over the years. Not only is this a burden for most businesses, especially start-ups, but also frequent breakdowns could lead to delays and unplanned expenses, which result in tangible and intangible losses for the business owner.

Cloudtap – Internet Water:  The key to a great pizza

While the flour and yeast are obviously crucial in a fantastic pizza base, good quality water with a consistent TDS level is also vital.  Commercial water purification systems that use multiple steps and integrate RO and UV technologies work best for, TDS and pathogens.

The solution to the problem of inconsistent TDS level and water quality is Cloudtap –Internet Water, which harnesses the combined power of AI (Artificial intelligence) and the Internet to help pizza restaurants with smart water management in line with digital changes sweeping the world.

Cloudtap- a commercial water purifier is a revolutionary approach to water purification brought to you by Alfaa UV, the pioneers and leaders in water and air disinfection solutions.

Cloudtap Internet Water offers a simple but highly technical solution that combines various water purification technologies to always guarantee safe drinking water. Fortunately, the internet and the use of AI in designing a commercial water purification system are capable of tracking  TDS levels and system performance in real-time. The combination of assured purity, no downtime, and online monitoring 24x7, make it a unique and path-breaking idea offering financial viability and complete peace of mind to the business owner. It ensures that customers get the cleanest water possible without ever having to doubt its quality.  In these days of water-saving awareness drives, Cloudtap ensures that the right technology is used for water purification, reducing water wastage to a large extent.

With Cloudtap Internet Water, pizza restaurants and other foodservice outlets can be assured of a 24/7 uninterrupted supply of pure water with predetermined TDS levels,  which will ensure consistency, optimum hygiene, and clean water across all outlets. Since Cloudtap commercial water purifier incorporates RO +UV processes along with sensor technology, it is possible to set water to pre-determined TDS levels, irrespective of the input quality so that the taste and safety of foods and beverages are seldom compromised.

Cloudtap - Internet Water will help pizza restaurants and cloud kitchens to maintain consistency in food by providing 24/7 pathogen-free, clean and pure water so that  pizza restaurants can deliver the best quality pizza to their customers

If you would like to know further benefits of Internet Water speak to us. The Cloudtap team would be delighted to discuss your requirements and assist you in choosing the best commercial water purifier for your pizza restaurant. This will mean that you are not only serving fantastic tasting drinking water to your customers, but you could also find that your meals prepared with Internet Water taste even better. To know more about how Cloudtap can help your business, please give us a call on +91-9321005309 or write to us: crm@cloudtap.in