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Physicochemical Properties of Oat Varieties and Their Potential for Breadmaking

¹School of Food Science, Food Technology and Nutrition, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland. ²BioTransfer Unit, University College Cork, University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland. ³Corresponding author. Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland. Phone: + 353 21 490 2388. Fax: + 353 21 4270213. E-mail: e.zannini@ucc.ie ⁴Nordsaat Saatzuchtgesellschaft mbH, Saatzucht Granskevitz, Granskevitz 3, 18569 Granskevitz/Rügen, Germany.

The breadmaking potential of six oat varieties was compared with and related to their physicochemical properties. The most significant differences in the bread characteristics were found in the crumb structure. The varieties Buggy, Energie, and Zorro resulted in good bread quality with an even gas-cell distribution characterized by a high number of relatively small pores. In contrast, Typhon, Ivory, and Nord 08/311 each had a large hole in the center of the crumb and accordingly poor quality. Breads differed little in specific volume, bake loss, and density. Rheological analysis revealed positive effects of low batter resistance to deformation on oat bread quality. On the basis of the physicochemical characterization, protein and fat contents were identified as key factors responsible for differences observed in bread quality, provided that starch damage and water-hydration capacity were low. Additionally, high setback and final viscosity, as determined by Rapid Visco Analyser (RVA) analysis, positively affected oat bread quality. High α-amylase activity was found to influence negatively the breadmaking performance of oats. Overall, protein, fat, dietary fiber content, starch pasting properties, and α-amylase activity were responsible for the breadmaking properties of oat varieties.