Sweet rusks are foods derived from cereals, or rather, from soft wheat flour or Triticum aestivum.
Sweet rusks are basically industrial foods, although they can be prepared at home. From a nutritional point of view, they belong to the III fundamental group of foods - rich in starch, fiber, some vitamins and minerals. They are suitable for most nutritional regimes even if, in low-calorie and therapeutic diets against certain metabolic diseases, they may be inadequate due to the excess of soluble / simple sugars - glucose, maltose, sucrose - and fats - even superficially sprayed during the production cycle to increase the gilding effect.
Sweet rusks, as well as wholemeal ones and simple rusks, represent the commercial alter ego of bread bruschetta and / or stale bread - if desired, even sliced toasted polenta.
The shape of the sweet rusks is identical to that of sliced bread, with sides of the base of about 8-9 cm and a thickness of 1 cm; the color is more golden at the edges; sometimes they are found round or with a more rectangular base. Compared to ordinary bread, they are free from crumbs and have a completely crunchy consistency; the rind is only slightly darker and more compact. Being subjected to two firings, they contain a higher level of malto-dextrin, less humidity and a decidedly sweeter flavor.
Sweet rusks are used, like sweets and wholemeal, especially as a substitute or analogue of bread; nevertheless, compared to the others, they are more apt to accompany sweet foods. In Italy, the main use is at breakfast or in secondary snacks - placed between main meals, then in the middle of the morning and / or in the afternoon. The association with salty foods - cold cuts and cheeses is less typical.
, from the very low humidity and the presence of lipids necessary for the dough and browning. The sweet rusks contain a medium-low quantity of proteins and a significant concentration of dietary fibers. The carbohydrates are mainly complex - starch - but the fraction of simple it is however high - maltose, glucose, sucrose Fatty acids have a prevalence of unsaturated ones and peptides of chains of medium biological value.
The starchy polymers and the proteins of the sweet rusks, undergoing a double cooking, undergo thermal hydrolysis - increasing the percentage of malto-dextrins and maltose - and denaturation. Compared to 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. Note: if the percentage of fat were lower, the aforementioned parameters would be further higher.
Sweet rusks have a moderate fiber content - while it is high in wholemeal ones - and are cholesterol-free. They contain gluten and may have small concentrations of lactose. The histamine level is negligible. Purines and phenylalanine appear in low to medium amounts.
Regarding the mineral profile, sweet rusks contain a fair level of iron - even if not very bioavailable - but this is probably due to the high nutritional concentration caused by the lack of water. Potassium, magnesium and zinc are present, but less relevant than wholemeal rusks. The sodium concentration is excessive. As far as vitamins are concerned, the content of various water-soluble molecules of group B is appreciable, especially thiamine (vit B1), riboflavin (vit B2) and niacin (vit PP).
in case of overweight, it is essential not to overdo the portion and frequency of consumption.
Furthermore, such load and glycemic-insulin index are contraindicated in the diet of the type 2 diabetic and of the hypertriglyceridemic.
Sweet 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, other seeds and marine algae.
The lipid profile of sweet rusks is discreet.Unsaturated fatty acids are more abundant and cholesterol does not appear; this can benefit, or simply not hinder, dietary therapy against dyslipidemias or other metabolic pathologies.
The appreciable amount of iron, even if not bioavailable, makes sweet rusks a preferable food compared to many others in the same category but poorer in this mineral. However, rusks cannot replace the most important food sources of bioavailable iron such as meat, fish and eggs, necessary to prevent-treat iron deficiency anemia - more frequent in fertile women, pregnant women, etc. The content is modest but in any case significant amount of potassium and magnesium helps to cover the specific nutritional needs of these alkalizing minerals 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, however more abundant in many other foods, is essential for building antioxidant enzymes and maintaining thyroid health.
B vitamins play the role of coenzymes. The rusks are not one of the most important food sources but they participate in the achievement of the recommended ration, partially supporting the efficiency of all tissues.
Sweet 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, sweet 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 sweet rusks with mainly salty ingredients; combinations with spreadable cheese - such as crescenza, squacquerone, stracchino, philadelphia are quite frequent , certosa, robiola or robiolino, gorgonzola, mascarpone etc. - or with cured meats such as raw ham, cooked ham, salami, mortadella, pancetta, coppa etc. - also palm oil - brewer's yeast, sugar - dextrose and / or sucrose - barley malt extract, "malted" wheat flour and salt. Note: Except for dietary ones, although they may differ slightly depending on the " manufacturer, sweet rusks all have more or less the same recipe.
Process of industrial sweet rusks
The process is fully automated. After the dough, the leavening and the first cooking of the loaf from which the sweet rusks will be obtained, the typical spray greasing is applied consecutively - to give more browning - and a toasting heat treatment - to increase crunchiness and friability. These last steps 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 sweet rusks for a long period of time.
