Abstract
Oat bran is a nutritionally rich ingredient, but it is underutilized in semi-moist and liquid foods due to technological issues such as high viscosity and sliminess. The aim of this work was to improve the technological properties of oat bran concentrate (OBC) in high-moisture food applications by enzymatic and mechanical treatments. OBC was hydrolyzed with β-glucanase (OBC-Hyd) and the water-soluble fraction (OBC-Sol) was separated. OBC, OBC-Hyd and OBC-Sol were further microfluidized at 5% dry matter content. Enzymatic treatment and microfluidization of OBC reduced the molecular weight (Mw) of β-glucan from 2748 kDa to 893 and 350 kDa, respectively, as well as the average particle size of OBC (3.4 and 35 times, respectively). Both treatments increased the extractability of the soluble compounds from the OBC samples (up to 80%) and affected their water retention capacity. OBC in suspension had very high viscosity (969 mPa·s) when heated, which decreased after both enzyme and microfluidization treatments. The colloidal stability of the OBC in suspension was improved, especially after microfluidization. The addition of OBC samples to acid milk gels decreased syneresis, improved the water holding capacity and softened the texture. The changes in the suspension and gel characteristics were linked with reduced β-glucan Mw and OBC particle size.
Highlights
Oats are increasingly used in various food products due to health-promoting and sustainability reasons
In an attempt to improve the performance of oat bran in high-moisture food applications at addition levels enabling the health claim of β-glucan, enzymatic hydrolysis and microfluidization were investigated
Microfluidization of a complex food raw material such as oat bran was shown for the first time to decrease the molecular weight (Mw) of β-glucan, which would be a fast and efficient alternative to enzymatic hydrolysis required to reduce the viscosity and sliminess of oat bran in suspension
Summary
Oats are increasingly used in various food products due to health-promoting and sustainability reasons. The recommended daily intake is 3 g of oat β-glucan, and the claim can be used for food products containing at least 1 g per portion. Especially bran, is widely used in various cereal food products, such as porridges, breads, snacks and biscuits [3,4,5], it can be challenging for consumers to reach the recommended intake of β-glucan. Beverages and spoonable products such as yogurts are potential food categories for addition of high-DF oat ingredients [6]. The incorporation of oat ingredients into semi-moist and liquid food products at the amounts needed to reach β-glucan claims is challenging due to the increase of viscosity and sliminess by β-glucan, and coarse mouthfeel [7]
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