Avenanthramides, Avenacosides, and β-Glucans in Oat-Based Milk Alternatives—How Oat’s Nutritional Compounds Are Being Affected by Various Stages of Processing †
1
Department of Food and Nutritional Science, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6LA, UK
2
Arla Innovation Centre, 8200 Arhus, Denmark
3
School of Biosciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023, Belgrade, Serbia, 14–17 November 2023.
Proceedings 2023, 91(1), 423; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091423
Published: 9 April 2024
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023)
Abstract
:Background: Oat-based Milk Alternatives (OMAs) provide multiple health benefits arising from oat’s unique compounds: avenanthramides, avenacosides, and dietary fibre β-glucan. Avenanthramides–polyphenols, unique to oats, provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, whilst avenacosides are saponins with anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. β-Glucans assist in lowering blood cholesterol and lead to the prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, oats undergo many stages of processing to ensure a sensory appealing and safe OMA product, including enzymatic treatment, heating, high shear, decanting of larger solids, and homogenisation. It is possible that throughout these stages, compounds may be affected by degradation or lost entirely. Objective: The concentration of avenanthramides, avenacosides, and β-glucans in the OMA samples was measured at each of the 12 stages of an OMA production, with a comparison of short ultra-heat treatment (UHT) and prolonged high heat treatment, to assess how they may be affected. Design: OMA samples were produced from basic ingredients within the pilot plant. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to measure the concentration of avenanthramides and avenacosides. β-Glucan was determined spectrophotometrically using the Megazymes assay. Results: Avenanthramides and avenacosides were found to significantly increase in concentration after initial enzymatic treatment with alpha-amylase, whilst avenanthramides also increased post 90 °C treatment, and decanting – suggesting that these compounds are not being lost in the removed solids. However, avenanthramides decreased after UHT and prolonged heat treatment, suggesting they may be susceptible to degradation from prolonged heat and temperatures above 120 °C. β-Glucans concentrations decreased post glucoamylase treatment, and decanting – suggesting that β-glucans are lost within the decanted slurry, and increased after treatment with alpha-amylase, 90 °C and high shear mixing. Conclusion: With this information, future products may be optimised to preserve these components to improve the health benefits of oat-based milk alternatives.
Author Contributions
R.M., S.L., L.M., R.E. and S.G. contributed to conception and design of the study. R.M. wrote the first draft of the manuscript. S.L. assisted with statistical analyses, whilst L.M. and S.L. assisted with laboratory analyses and results interpretation. All authors contributed to manuscript revision, read, and approved the submitted version. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
R.M. was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Arla Foods through a UKRI BBSRC FoodBioSystems Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP), grant number BB/T008776/1.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
Data will be made available on request.
Conflicts of Interest
S.G. was employed by Arla Foods amba. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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MDPI and ACS Style
McCarron, R.; Methven, L.; Grahl, S.; Elliott, R.; Lignou, S. Avenanthramides, Avenacosides, and β-Glucans in Oat-Based Milk Alternatives—How Oat’s Nutritional Compounds Are Being Affected by Various Stages of Processing. Proceedings 2023, 91, 423. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091423
AMA Style
McCarron R, Methven L, Grahl S, Elliott R, Lignou S. Avenanthramides, Avenacosides, and β-Glucans in Oat-Based Milk Alternatives—How Oat’s Nutritional Compounds Are Being Affected by Various Stages of Processing. Proceedings. 2023; 91(1):423. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091423
Chicago/Turabian StyleMcCarron, Roisin, Lisa Methven, Stephanie Grahl, Ruan Elliott, and Stella Lignou. 2023. "Avenanthramides, Avenacosides, and β-Glucans in Oat-Based Milk Alternatives—How Oat’s Nutritional Compounds Are Being Affected by Various Stages of Processing" Proceedings 91, no. 1: 423. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091423
