Nutritional properties of oat‐based beverages as affected by processing and storage

Abstract

AbstractOat‐based beverages enriched with vitamins and minerals were produced with common hydrothermal treatments and stored at 22 °C for 64 weeks. The effects of decanting on the retention of native vitamins, minerals and fatty acids, and different UHT holding time (5 s or 20 s) at 140 °C on vitamins were investigated. Fatty acid profile, vitamin retention and dissolved oxygen concentration were monitored during storage. The decanting process caused a 47% increase of vitamin B6 and a 45–74% loss of phosphorus, zinc, calcium and iron. The steam‐injection UHT treatment caused a 60% loss of vitamin D3 for both holding times and a 30% loss of vitamin B12 for 20 s. During 1 year of storage, oleic and linoleic acids were stable, whereas linolenic acid decreased only slightly, even in the iron‐enriched variety. The dissolved oxygen concentration increased to a low value of 0.71 mg L−1 and reached a balance after 16 weeks. Most enriched vitamins except vitamins A, D3 and B12 were stable during ambient storage. Oat‐based beverages with highly retained vitamins can be manufactured by adding vitamins prior to direct UHT treatment with a shorter holding time. Additionally, iron enrichment of such beverages, without affecting the fatty acid profile, can be achieved by filter sterilisation. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry