Pineapple On Pizza? Here’s What Science Says About The World’s Most Divisive Topping

The 50+ Teams notifications that followed indicated that clearly, we don’t do fence-sitting when it comes to pizza at IFLScience. Since we couldn’t reach a unanimous vote in the pineapple-on-pizza debate ourselves, we decided to look to the science.

Pineapple on pizza: Science’s arguments for

Sweet combined with savory = winner

There exists a delicious field of chemistry that concerns itself with flavor. It focuses on all the chemicals in food that are detected by receptors in the mouth so that we can taste the five basics: sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness, and umami (savory). Flavorists can also identify the notes of food by smelling it, which in one 2019 study turned up fruity, wine-y, vanilla-like, vegetative, beany, sweet, and acidic notes – notes that can be followed like a recipe for making synthetic flavorings. Recently, such trained sniffers also tracked down the notes of ancient Egyptian mummies.

In real pineapple, its sweetness and tartness largely come from citric acid, combined with fruity esters, plus vanillin and eugenal (which taste like vanilla and clove), and oxygen-containing carbon rings that give caramel and sherry overtones.  What do all these notes and compounds have to say about the argument of pineapple on pizza? They could well underpin why some people think the topping enhances the saltier, savory flavors of pizza.

“When we’re talking about food pairings, we’re talking about things that both reinforce flavors in each other, as well as flavors that provide contrast,” flavor chemist Terry Miesle of FONA International told Mel Magazine. “For example, when you put garlic on a steak, you’ve got a lot of sulfur compounds and sugars, and those reinforce the steak, but you can also taste the contrast, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to tell it’s there. With pineapple on pizza, it’s doing both of these things — it’s reinforcing and contrasting — but with different components of the pizza.”

Pineapple is a good source of nutrients

They say that eating the rainbow is a good approach if you want to start getting your vitamins from food instead of supplements (that may just be giving you expensive urine). A pizza would be a pretty great canvas for checking off a few hues, given we already have fruity tomato representing red, peppers for greens and oranges, and red onions for hitting the bluey-purples. As for yellow? Well, pineapple seems a fine choice.

As a fruit, pineapple is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and bioactive compounds that can have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as well as contribute to good nervous system function and regular bowel movements. By introducing more fruits and vegetables to our meals, we can top up our nutrient intake, and that extends to the often maligned pineapple chunk.

Policing toppings stifles progress

When IFLScience spoke to Prof Jim Al-Khalili, we dove into The Joy Of Science and why the true scientific method is rarely a straight line. Getting it wrong, as Al-Khalili said, is all part of the process and it’s often the most experienced scientists who are willing to ask the “stupid questions” and admit their mistakes as a result. How can we work out how to get it right if we aren’t willing to fuck around with pizza toppings and find out?

To borrow the words of Isaac Asimov, “The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka’ but ‘That’s funny…’” And my oh my, if that ain’t the first thought that pops into your head when you see an unexpected fruit on a pizza.

Pineapple on pizza: Science’s arguments against

Pineapple makes people bleed

Yes, we know it sounds a bit dramatic but hear us out: pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain that’s used to soften tough cuts of meat because it can break down proteins. Unfortunately, that includes those found inside our mouths. For some people, a pineapple’s potent enzymes will just cause a bit of tingling or stinging. However, for some unlucky souls, the pineapple’s revenge is more severe, causing bleeding of the tongue, gums, and cheeks.

That said, the perfect pizza should be cooked at around 230°C (446°F) in your home oven (according to physics), well about the 70°C (158°F) needed to inhibit bromelain. However, then we encounter a different possible downside to pineapple.

Pineapple contains sugar

When we heat fruit, it goes through a process called caramelization. According to the Science Of Cooking, it’s a kind of non-enzymatic browning reaction that oxidizes sugar, releasing volatile chemicals that give it a caramel flavor.

While the flavor may seem more indulgent, caramelization alone doesn’t actually increase the overall sugar content when cooking with fresh pineapple. However, that might change if you’re using pineapple chunks in syrup. The use of fresh versus canned pineapple may, therefore, be a consideration for anyone trying to limit their sugar intake.

Ignoring the experts

Pizza’s history stretches even farther than its cheese pulls. Flatbreads with toppings have been enjoyed as far back as the ancient Egyptians, but Naples in Italy is widely considered to be the birthplace of modern pizza. The classics here include margherita, marinara, capricciosa, romagnola, and piccantissima. The Neapolitan pizza is cooked hot, served fresh, and never, ever, features pineapple. If, then, we’re to turn to the experts for a royal thumbs-up or -down when it comes to pineapple on pizza, it seems the Italians would surely sentence the world’s most divisive topping to death.

That view is shared by IFLScience’s resident Italian Dr Alfredo Carpineti, but as we reflect, it seems our research into the pros and cons has turned up a similar stalemate to our earlier poll.  On balance, I – the writer – feel inclined to take inspiration from Asimov. So, I’m off to slap some raspberries on a pizza and find out if I think it’s funny.