Wholemeal rusks are foods derived from cereals, the result of real complex recipes.
The main ingredient is wholemeal soft wheat flour, that is the flour rich in fiber obtained by grinding the seeds of Triticum aestivum.
Wholemeal rusks can be made at home but they are basically industrial foods. From a nutritional point of view, they belong to the III fundamental group of foods, therefore rich in starch, fiber, some vitamins and minerals. They lend themselves to most nutritional regimes; on the other hand, in low-calorie diets, they may not be recommended due to the higher intake of fats - even sprinkled on the surface during the production cycle to increase the browning effect - and of simple sugars - maltose - compared to plain bread.
Wholemeal rusks are the commercial alter ego of bread bruschetta - if desired, also of toasted sliced polenta. The shape is a disk or parallelepiped - with sides of the base of about 8 x 9 cm or more rectangular - and a thickness of 1 cm; the color is golden and darker on the outside, but typical of wholemeal flour - while the simple and sweet ones have a uniform pigmentation. Compared to bread, they are free from crumbs and have a crunchy texture. They contain a higher level of malto-dextrins, soluble sugars, less humidity and a decidedly sweeter flavor. Note: however, it must be remembered that wholemeal rusks are the least rich in simple gludics, a primacy held by sweet rusks.
Wholemeal rusks are mainly used as a substitute or analogue of bread. In Italy, the main use is at breakfast or in secondary snacks - placed between the main meals, therefore in the middle of the morning and / or in the afternoon. It is typical the association with sweet spreadable foods but also with various kinds of savory - cold cuts and cheeses.
, from the very low humidity and the presence of lipids necessary for the dough and browning. Wholemeal rusks contain a medium-low quantity of proteins and a significant concentration of dietary fibers. a fundamental role - unsaturated fatty acids and peptides of medium biological value; dietary fibers, mainly from bran, are almost exclusively of the insoluble type.
The starchy polymers and proteins of wholemeal rusks, undergoing a double cooking, undergo thermal hydrolysis - increasing the percentage of soluble sugars - and denaturation. Compared to wholemeal bread, this aspect favors the reduction of digestive times; this characteristic determines a greater speed of absorption and the consequent surge of the glycemic-insulin index. If the percentage of fats were lower, the aforementioned parameters would be further higher. fibers allow digestive and absorption modulation by reducing the glycemic-insulin index of wholemeal rusks.
Wholemeal rusks contain gluten; some also show small concentrations of lactose, while the histamine level is negligible. The purine content is low, while the phenylalanine intake seems to be of medium entity. Cholesterol is absent.
Wholemeal rusks contain good amounts of iron - although not very bioavailable; the contribution of potassium, magnesium and zinc is discreet. The sodium concentration seems excessive. Regarding the vitamin profile, the level of various water-soluble molecules of group B is appreciable, especially thiamine (vit B1), riboflavin (vit B2 ) and niacin (vit PP). The contribution of vitamin E (alpha tocopherol or tocotrienol) is not negligible - insignificant in white flour biscuits.
Furthermore, even if the load and the glycemic-insulin index are not as high as in simple rusks, they are still significant and contraindicated in the diet of type 2 diabetic and hypertriglyceridemic patients.
Wholemeal rusks are not a complete protein source. The biological value, of medium entity - it does not contain all the essential amino acids for man in the right quantities and proportions - requires to be compensated by taking food sources that contain the so-called limiting amino acids. Among these - not necessarily to be taken in the same meal - we can include all foods of animal origin, certain legumes or other seeds and seaweeds.
The lipid profile of rusks is highly variable. This depends above all on the type of flour used, whether white enriched with bran or actually wholemeal - that is, it also contains the seed germ - and on the type of fats used in the dough and for browning. In general, we can say that rusks currently produced have an adequate lipid profile - absence of cholesterol and prevalence of unsaturated over saturated fatty acids, with a good amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids - even for those suffering from hypercholesterolemia.
The abundance of fibers promotes intestinal health, evading-curing constipation, acting positively on the prevention of certain forms of colorectal cancer, helping to prevent the formation of hemorrhoids, anal fissures, prolapses, diverticulosis and diverticulitis.
The richness in iron, even if not bioavailable, makes wholemeal rusks a preferable food compared to many others in the same category and poorer in the mineral. However, they cannot replace elite food sources such as meat, fish and eggs - necessary to prevent-cure iron deficiency anemia, more frequent in fertile women, pregnant women, etc. The good content of potassium and magnesium helps to cover the needs specific nutritional value of these alkalizing minerals and necessary for the transmission of the neuro-muscular action potential; in the organism they decrease with the increase of sweating and with the fecal-urinary losses. Zinc is essential for building antioxidant enzymes and maintaining thyroid health.
B vitamins play the role of coenzymes. Rusks are not an exclusive food source but participate in achieving the recommended ration, partially supporting the efficiency of all tissues. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant; its presence in wholemeal rusks is to be attributed to the presence of wheat germ, to the use of good quality oils or to the addition as a preservative.
Wholemeal rusks do not lend themselves to the celiac's diet. If they are free of milk and derivatives, they are suitable for nutritional therapy against lactose intolerance and allergy to milk proteins. They can be used in the diet against hyperuricemia, histamine intolerance and phenylketonuria.
Being considered of good digestibility, wholemeal rusks are sometimes recommended in the dietary therapy of those suffering from digestive disorders, for example: stomach acid, hiatal hernia and gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastritis and gastric or duodenal peptic ulcer.
They are all suitable for the vegetarian philosophy, while only those free of milk and derivatives, eggs and derivatives and fats of animal origin lend themselves to the vegan diet. The relevance to religious diets is to be analyzed case by case, observing the list of ingredients.
, jam, jelly, honey, condensed milk, hazelnut-cocoa spread - like Nutella - etc .; they are good for soaking in milk, fruit juice and orange juice. Obviously, nothing prevents you from associating wholemeal rusks with mainly salty ingredients; combinations with spreadable cheese - such as crescenza, squacquerone, stracchino, philadelphia are quite frequent , certosa, robiola or robiolino etc. - or with cured meats such as raw ham, cooked ham, salami, mortadella, pancetta, coppa etc. wholemeal - or more commonly type 00 with added bran - vegetable oil - also palm oil - brewer's yeast, sugar - dextrose and / or sucrose - barley malt extract, "malted" wheat flour and salt. for dietetic ones, although they may differ slightly depending on the manufacturer, wholemeal rusks all have more or less the same recipe.
Process of industrial wholemeal rusks
The process is fully automated. After the kneading, the leavening and the first cooking of the loaf from which the wholemeal rusks will be obtained, the typical spray greasing is applied consecutively - to give more browning - and a toasting heat treatment - to increase the crunchiness. passages guarantee a lower percentage of water and a greater lipid contribution, which contribute to a greater energy density and increase the digestibility of the crumb compared to traditional bread. The process ends with the packaging, which guarantees the maintenance of the organoleptic and taste characteristics of the wholemeal rusks for a long period of time.
