Author
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Peterson, David |
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Submitted to: Cereal Foods World
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/1998 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Among the cereals, oats has the highest oil concentration, averaging about 6 percent of dry weight. Two decades ago, Frey and Hammond postulated that oats could become a commercial oil crop if this could be raised to 16 percent. Through nine cycles of recurrent selection, Frey and associates succeeded in raising the level to 18 percent. Currently, plant breeders are eattempting to develop agronomically acceptable cultivars with high oil concentrations. Oat oil is of good quality, containing predominantly oleic and linoleic acids. The oil is distributed throughout the endosperm, especially in the outer layers, and is not concentrated in the germ. Oat oil is a good source of antioxidant activity. The concentrations of tocotrienol, an antioxidant and cholesterol-lowering compound, and oil are highly correlated. A potential problem is the high lipase activity in oats, which can cause high acid values in the oil if not inactivated. A commercial oat oil industry will depend on the availability of high-oil, agronomically acceptable cultivars and development of a niche market for oat oil. For such a market to develop, unique properties of oat oil must be identified and exploited through plant breeding or processing technology. |
