Author
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Peterson, David |
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Submitted to: Cereal Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 12/8/1997 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Malted barley has a number of food applications. Plant breeders are developing new cultivars of hulless oats. This research was initiated to determine the feasibility of malting hulless oats for food applications. Several different strains of hulless oats were analyzed for their major chemical constituents before and after malting (a controlled germination process that initiates breakdown of starch, protein, and oil). The results showed some differences between strains, indicating the possibility of selecting the most appropriate strain for the intended application. The biggest problem to be overcome is the increase in free fatty acids during malting. High free fatty acid levels may lead to rancidity and off flavors. If this problem can be resolved, malted hulless oats might find a place in certain food products, and lead to a new market for farmers in addition to animal feed use. Technical Abstract: Samples of hulless oat genotypes from the Cooperative Naked Oat Test grown in Ottawa, Ontario and Aberdeen, Idaho were analyzed for their potential as a food malt. Genotypes varied considerably in their lipid and free fatty acid concentrations, whereas starch, N, and beta-glucan concentrations were more uniform. Malted oats had about 5 percent less starch and slightly more N than unmalted. During the steeping phase of malting, free fatty acids increased markedly, and during germination beta-glucan was nearly all degraded. Whole oats and groats of three hulled cultivars were malted with similar results. Because high levels of free fatty acids may lead to the development of rancid flavors, a method to curtail their increase may be necessary to produce a useful malted food product. |
