DisplayTitle

Genotypic and Environmental Effects on Oat Milling Characteristics and Groat Hardness

¹USDA-ARS Hard Red Spring and Durum Wheat Quality Laboratory, Harris Hall, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105. Mention of firm names or trade products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture over other firms or similar products not mentioned. ²Corresponding author. Phone: 701/231-8069. Fax: 701/239-1377. E-mail: doehlert@plains.nodak.edu ³Department of Plant Sciences, Loftsgard Hall, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105.

The production of oat bran involves the dehulling of oats, inactivation of their enzymes, and the subsequent grinding and sieving of the clean groats to isolate the larger bran particles. The bran yield from the oat groats may be related to their hardness, as it is in wheat. Groat breakage, which occurs during the dehulling process, reduces milling yield and may also be related to groat hardness. This study sought to investigate genotypic and environmental effects on oat dry milling and oat dehulling characteristics, and attempted to define properties associated with oat groat hardness. Significant genotypic differences in bran yield were largely attributed to groat composition, where higher β-glucan and oil concentrations in the groat were associated with higher bran yields. Bran composition was largely dependent on a combination of the bran yield and the groat composition. Although groat breakage was correlated with bran yield and with groat β-glucan concentration, environmental factors appeared to be more influential. Locations that had suffered severe crown rust infestations exhibited higher rates of groat breakage during dehulling. Bran yield was not as strongly affected at the locations infested with crown rust, indicating that bran yield and groat breakage are manifestations of different types of groat hardness and are only partially related.