Common Wheat Pasta Enriched with Ultrafine Ground Oat Husk: Physicochemical and Sensory Properties

Oat flour and β-glucan regulate the quality of cereal flour and cereal products: Unveiling novel physicochemical insights with future perspectives

In the dynamically evolving cereal food industry, the demand for enhanced health properties has surged. The specific dietary requirements of certain patient groups have further intensified this pursuit, thereby driving the expansion of the gluten-free product market. However, refined and gluten-free cereal products often suffer from nutrient loss. Oats, celebrated for their outstanding nutritional profile, have garnered global attention within the realm of cereal products. Despite this, the impacts of adding oats, such as oat (bran) flour and oat β-glucan, on the physicochemical characteristics of cereal flours and the quality of associated products have not been reviewed. This review focuses on these aspects, including the influence on viscosity, thermal stability, viscoelasticity, dough/batter network structure, water distribution, and starch retrogradation, which can be used as mechanisms to explain the effects of oats on the quality of cereal products to some extent. Notably, the concentration, molecular weight, and structure of β-glucan play crucial roles. The effects of oats vary distinctly across diverse cereal products. We have comprehensively summarized these effects and propose strategies to mitigate negative impacts. Whole oats products show potential as gluten-free alternatives, but their associated safety issues must be considered. Meanwhile, large-scale production of oat β- glucan-enriched cereal products in the food industry faces numerous challenges. Looking forward, future research should explore advanced technologies such as genetic modification, spectral imaging, machine learning algorithms, and molecular dynamics simulation. These endeavors are aimed at surmounting the safety and nutritional challenges associated with oats in applications, optimizing the formulations of different cereal products, and fully exploiting the potential of oats in cereal product development.

Combined Strategy Using High Hydrostatic Pressure, Temperature and Enzymatic Hydrolysis for Development of Fibre-Rich Ingredients from Oat and Wheat By-Products

Wheat bran (WB) and oat hull (OH) are two interesting undervalued cereal processing sources rich in total dietary fibre (TDF) and other associated bioactive compounds, such as β-glucans and polyphenols. The aim of this study was to optimise a combination chemical (enzymes) and physical (high hydrostatic pressure-temperature) strategies to increase the bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds naturally bound to the bran and hull outer layers. WB and OH were hydrolysed using food-grade enzymes (UltraFloXL and Viscoferm, for WB and OH, respectively) in combination with HPP at different temperatures (40, 50, 60 and 70 °C) and hydrolysis either before or after HPP. Proximal composition, phytic acid, β-glucans, total phenolics (TPs) and total antioxidant activity (TAC) were evaluated to select the processing conditions for optimal nutritional and bioactive properties of the final ingredients. The application of the hydrolysis step after the HPP treatment resulted in lower phytic acid levels in both matrices (WB and OH). On the other hand, the release of β-glucan was more effective at the highest temperature (70 °C) used during pressurisation. After the treatment, the TP content ranged from 756.47 to 1395.27 µmol GAE 100 g-1 in WB, and OH showed values from 566.91 to 930.45 µmol GAE 100 g-1. An interaction effect between the temperature and hydrolysis timing (applied before or after HPP) was observed in the case of OH. Hydrolysis applied before HPP was more efficient in releasing OH TPs at lower HPP temperatures (40-50 °C); meanwhile, at higher HPP temperatures (60-70 °C), hydrolysis yielded higher TP values when applied after HPP. This effect was not observed in WB, where the hydrolysis was more effective before HPP. The TP results were significantly correlated with the TAC values. The results showed that the application of optimal process conditions (hydrolysis before HPP at 60 or 70 °C for WB; hydrolysis after HPP at 70 °C for OH) can increase the biological value of the final ingredients obtained.