R. Strychar, Ag Commodity Research, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
OATS: Chemistry and Technology, Second Edition
Pages 1-10
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/9781891127649.001
ISBN: 978-1-891127-64-9
Abstract
Oats (Avena sativa L.) are an important source of livestock feed worldwide, both as a nutritious grain and as forage. They are a good source of protein, fiber, and minerals. Oats are the highest-protein cereal-grain crop and, until replaced by soybeans for livestock feed, were considered the primary protein source in feed rations. Despite the fact that world oat production declined sharply over the past 70 years, particularly as farm mechanization increased between 1930 and 1950, oats still remain an important grain crop for people throughout the developing world and in developed economies for specialty uses. In many parts of the world, oats are grown for use as grain as well as for forage and fodder, straw for bedding, hay, haylage, silage, and chaff. On average, in many regions, 25% of the area seeded to oats is cut for green feed.
Livestock feed is still the primary use of oat crops, accounting for, on average, 74% of the world's total oat usage between 1995 and 2005, according to data of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). However, oats are also used in production of many human food products and in some industrial applications. Food uses for oats include oatmeal, oat flour, oat bran, and oat flakes, which are used for breakfast cereals and as ingredients in other food products. Oats are a good source of several vitamins and minerals. In the late 1980s, studies revealing oat bran's heart-healthy attributes increased consumer demand for ready-to-eat oat products.
This chapter looks at the production, trade, and usage of oats from a global perspective, with a closer look at production and usage in major oat-producing countries.
