Good grades for toast bread from Stiftung Warentest

Barely molds and no pollutants: Toastbread could convince in test

07/28/2012

In addition to breads such as basket or wholemeal bread, Germans love to eat toast. Stiftung Warentest e.V. has tested several varieties and providers in a study. Above all, low-cost products were able to achieve good results.

Although nutrition experts warn against excessive consumption of toast, the practical slices in various variations are among the most popular breakfast items in Germany. Reason enough for the experts of Stiftung Warentest to take a closer look at multigrain, wholemeal and butter toast. The focus of the test was not on health aspects, but rather on ingredients, freshness, price and quality.

A total of six multi-grain toast, nine whole-wheat toast and eleven Buttertoast varieties were tested by different manufacturers. In addition to the appearance and price, subjective sensory experiences such as taste, smell and mouthfeel were of great importance to the experts. In the laboratory, the discs were additionally examined for ingredients and composition. Important in this context were also any existing pollutants, germs or molds.

Test winner was Golden Toast
None of the 28 predicates could completely satisfy Stiftung Warentest. Accordingly, no top marks were given. Nevertheless, one can speak of a quite respectable result, since all toast varieties were rated either "good" or "satisfactory". Pleasing but also: No toast was graded "poor" or "bad". But for consumers, it's worth taking a look at the price. Because the differences were partly clearly visible.

Test winner of the study was the butter toast of the brand manufacturer "Golden Toast" for 1.29 euros. By almost two-thirds cheaper and almost as good cut the "Goldbären Buttertoast" the private label of "Aldi Nord" from. Here, consumers only have to pay 49 cents for a pack. The manufacturer "Golden Toast" also performed well in the category "wholegrain toast". The product was the only one in his group that met all "sensory quality criteria" at the end of the minimum shelf life (MHD). Other varieties showed odor impairments at the end of the BBD. "They no longer smelled fresh and slightly old," criticized the authors of the investigation. The most fiber of the wholemeal toast contained the "organic spelled wholemeal toast" of the food manufacturer "Herzberger".

Bad rating for organic products
Bioproducts link particular qualitative expectations of consumers. These products are usually more expensive than the conventional ones. But in the category "butter toast", two organic products were even among the test losers. According to Stiftung Warentest, the product "Das Backhaus" from "Bioland" only received a "satisfying note". The toast would "taste and smell more like brown bread," according to the testers. Another bad censorship received the Buttertoast of "Mühlengold" of the discounter "Aldi Süd". The toast had almost earned the grade "four" and did not go beyond the rating "3.5". Here, the experts criticized, for example, the "uneven crumb, the taste of clarified butter and clearly existing streaks".

For the multigrain toasts "Balance Toast" convinced the testers and finished with a rating of 1.7. Although the in-house brand of "Penny-Markt" reached the 3.0 mark, the multigrain toast was still in the bottom of the group.

Toasted bread contains a high proportion of white flour. Excessive consumption promotes metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. In the number of calories, the individual variants hardly differed. Most of the fiber was supplied by the wholegrain toast varieties. The least amount of fat showed the butter toasts.

Hardly molds and no pollutant problems
In the laboratory tests for harmful substances and microbiological contaminants, the Stiftung Warentest had little to complain about. Only in a few varieties did they find minimal traces of mold at the end of the minimum shelf life. Also pollutants were hardly found, so the testers. However, spot prints were obtained when they did not have uniform pores and the consistency was too firm. If the slices tasted dry, bland or crumbly, there were also prints. Most manufacturers claim that their products are "without added preservatives". The Stiftung Warentest could actually find no preservatives in these varieties.

Do not scrape off any black spots
If the toast should last longer, "it is recommended to freeze the bread," as the authors report. The discs can be taken out of the package if necessary individually. If a toast in the toaster was baked too long and subsequently showed dark to black spots, then consumers should "not scrape off" the places. On the one hand, the taste suffers and, on the other hand, it has been known for some time that burnt spots on food favors the development of cancer. (Sb)

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