Many additives

Big sugo test: organic products are the best

A popular classic: spaghetti bolognese!

(Bild: Patrick Huber)

When things need to be done quickly, many people reach for ready-made pasta sauce from a jar. The Chamber of Labor (AK) tested 16 ready-made Bolognese sugos: The four organic products scored best. They came closest to the original recipe, while the products at the bottom of the ranking contained additives, cheap alternatives or thickening substances.

AK Oberösterreich checked the composition of the sauces based on the list of ingredients and compared them with the original. The test winner - by far the most expensive product at 19.95 euros per kilogram - scored 85 out of a possible 100 points, while the bottom performer - at 3.55 euros per kilogram - scored just 22 points. In this case, the price probably determines the quality, as the better-rated half ranged from around nine to 19.95 euros per kilogram - with one outlier at 5.93 euros - while the eight worse-rated products ranged from 3.54 to 8.53 euros per kilogram.

Sometimes far removed from the original recipe
The pancetta that is obligatory in the original Italian version of "Ragù alla Bolognese" is missing in all recipes, as is the optional glass of milk or broth. Instead, garlic and mixed spices are used, which are not part of the original recipe. This only lists onions, carrots and celery as well as salt and pepper to taste.

The testers still saw the seasoning as creative freedom, but the use of rapeseed or sunflower oil instead of high-quality olive oil was deducted points, as was the use of flavorings or spice extracts, acidity regulators such as lactic, acetic or citric acid and thickening ingredients such as modified corn starch.

Meat from different countries
The characteristically high proportion of meat in the products tested was only between a minimalist 14 and 29 percent. Ten jars contained pure beef, six mixed minced meat. Two manufacturers use Italian and Austrian meat, five only domestic, three only Italian. The rest use meat from various EU countries and, in extreme cases, animal meat from all 27 member states and the United Kingdom. Most of the tomatoes come from Italy, but also from Spain and Portugal.