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OATS

The common oat (Avena sativa) plant is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other grains). While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats, one of the most common uses is as livestock feed. Oats have numerous uses in food; most commonly, they are rolled or crushed into oatmeal, or ground into fine oat flour. Oatmeal is chiefly eaten as porridge, but may also be used in a variety of baked goods, such as oatcakes, oatmeal cookies, and oat bread. Oats is also an ingredient in many cold cereals, in particular muesli and granola. Oats may also be consumed raw, and cookies with raw oats are becoming popular. Oats is generally considered "healthy", or a health food, being touted commercially as nutritious. The discovery of the healthy cholesterol-lowering properties has led to wider appreciation of oats as human food.

COMPOSITION
BY PRODUCTS OF OATS
VALUE ADDITION

COMPOSITION

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Oat beta-glucan is a soluble fiber. It is a viscous polysaccharide made up of units of the sugar D-glucose. In comparison, the non-digestible polysaccharide cellulose is also a beta-glucan but is non-soluble. The reason that it is non-soluble is that cellulose consists only of (1→4)-beta-D-linkages. The percentages of beta-glucan in the various whole oat products are: oat bran, greater than 5.5%, rolled oats up to 23.0% and whole oat flour about 4%.

Soluble fiber

Oat bran is the outer casing of the oat. Its consumption is believed to lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and possibly to reduce the risk of heart disease. In order to qualify for the health claim, the whole oat-containing food must provide at least 0.75 g of soluble fiber per serving. The soluble fiber in whole oats comprises a class of polysaccharides known as Beta-D-glucan.

Beta-D-glucans, usually referred to as beta-glucans, comprise a class of non-digestible polysaccharides widely found in nature in sources such as grains, barley, yeast, bacteria, algae and mushrooms. In oats, barley and other cereal grains, they are located primarily in the endosperm cell wall.

NUTRITIVE VALUE OF OATS

	Energy Kcal	Carbo hydrate g	Dietary fibre g	Fat g	Protein g	Pantothenic acid mg	Folate µg	Iron mg	Magnesium mg	b glucan (soluble fibre) g
Oats	390	66	11	7	17	1.3	56	5	177	4

Oat is the only cereal containing a globulin or legume-like protein, avenalin, as the major (80%) storage protein. Globulins are characterized by water solubility; because of this property, oats may be turned into milk but not into bread. The more typical cereal proteins such as gluten and zein are prolamines (prolamins). The minor protein of oat is a prolamine: avenin.

Oat protein is nearly equivalent in quality to soy protein, which has been shown by the World Health Organization to be equal to meat, milk and egg protein. The protein content of the hull-less oat kernel (groat) ranges from 12–24%, the highest among cereals

Oats (Avena sativa) form one of the most nutritious of all cereals for human use. Oatmeal obtained from the removal of husk is a common article of breakfast (porridge) in Europe. Oatmeal flour is not suited to bread making. The composition of the Indian oat meal is as follows; moisture, 10; protein, 13.6; fat, 7.6; carbohydrate, 62.8; and ash, 1.8 per cent. The grain contains considerable quantities of B vitamins.

Health Benefits

• High in dietary fibre (soluble and insoluble)
One of the richest sources of soluble fibre in the form of beta-glucan (approximately 5 g per 100 g serving).

• Rich in poly and mono-unsaturated fat and essential fatty acids
Linoleic acid and oleic acid (contributes to lowering LDL cholesterol and increasing HDL cholesterol)

• Minerals
Magnesium, potassium, calcium (helps build strong bones)

• Vitamins
Folacin/folic acid (helps promote heart health)

• Antioxidants

Avenanthramides, unique to oats, which have been seen to inhibit formation of oxygen species and reduce LDL oxidation in vitro soluble fibre beta-glucan offers a range of health benefits as well, which are as follows:

Provides energy
The soluble fibre in Oats slows digestion; this results in a slow release of energy that can help keep you physically and mentally active for hours.
Lowers the risk of heart disease
The soluble fibre in Oats lowers total and LDL cholesterol (so-called ‘bad cholesterol’), without lowering HDL cholesterol (so-called ‘good cholesterol’). By lowering cholesterol, the soluble fibre in oats lowers your risk of heart disease. Oatmeal, along with a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products helps maintain blood pressure in healthy ranges.
Controls insulin levels
The soluble fibre in Oats keeps blood glucose from rising too fast after you eat. This helps control blood glucose and insulin levels, making diabetes more manageable.
Helps staying in shape
The ability of oat soluble fibre to absorb water and swell (increases the bulk of the intestines’ contents) creates a feeling of fullness. Eating oats is a delicious way to help curb the appetite and manage your weight.
Oat porridge can be cooked up with hot water or low-fat milk in a jiffy. Top it up with fruits, nuts and other condiments to make it even tastier. Oats could even be made into a healthy, savoury poha. Oats also makes for a wholesome addition to chapatti or paratha dough or dosa, idli or uthapam batter.

BY PRODUCTS OF OATS

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Puffed oats

Whole grain oats are cleaned and conditioned. It is then fed into an externally heated, sealed pressure chamber. Steam is injected to raise the internal pressure in the chamber to about 14 kg/cm2 and then suddenly released by opening the chamber which expands water vapour inturn the grain blows up to several times its original size.

Oats products

Different types of processing are used to produce various types of oat products, which are generally used to make breakfast cereals, baked products and stuffings

Oat groats: Oat grain that have been hulled (unflattened kernels that are good for breakfast cereal or for stuffing).
Steel cut oats: Groats that have been cut into 2 to 3 pieces and not rolled. They take considerably longer to cook than rolled oats and have a decidedly chewy texture. It is also called as scotch oats or Irish oatmeal.
Rolled oats: Oat groats when steamed and flattened with huge rollers, it becomes regular rolled oats. They take about 15 minutes to cook.
Quick cooking rolled oats: Oat groats that have been cut into several pieces before being steamed and rolled into thinner flakes. They take about 5 minutes to cook.
Instant oats: Cut groats that have been precooked and dried before being rolled. This precooking process softens the oat pieces that, often being combined with a liquid; the mixture can turn baked goods such as muffins or cookies into gooey lymps. Most instant oatmeal is packaged with salt, sugar and other flavours.
Oat flour: Oat groats that have been ground into powder.
Oat bran: It is the outer casing of oats and is particularly high in soluble fiber thought to be a leading contender in the fight against high cholesterol.

VALUE ADDITION **

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Some oat products such as chappathi, extruded products (noodles, vermicelli and macaroni), pittu, adai, sweet and chilli biscuits and health drink with different milled oat products and with different proportions was developed. Results of the study showed that, chappathi made from 75% oat flour with 25% wheat flour was highly acceptable. Extruded products and pittu made from 100% oat flour was highly acceptable. Oats adai made from oats flour with green gram flour had good consumer acceptability. Biscuits made from 30% oat bran had good acceptability and health drink made from incorporating 10% oat bran into milk was possible.

Technologies Available

**- Home Science College and Research Institute, TNAU, Madurai

Source

http://www.ngfa.org/Images/oats.jpg

http://www.eatmoreoats.com/health.html

http://www.wheatmontana.com/store/images/Rolled-Oats.jpg

USDA Nutrient database

Special Technologies

SRI-System of Rice Intensification
Precision Farming
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