ABSTRACT
Germination can be used to improve the texture and flavor of cereals. However, germination generally causes breakdown of β-glucans, which is undesirable with respect to the functional properties of β-glucan. Our aim was to assess possibilities of germinating oat without substantial loss of high molecular weight β-glucan. Two cultivars, hulled Veli and hull-less (naked) Lisbeth were germinated at 5, 15, and 25°C and dried by lyophilization or oven drying. Elevated germination temperatures led to an increase in Fusarium, aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, Pseudomonas spp., lactic acid bacteria, enterobacteria, and aerobic spore-forming bacteria. Therefore, the germination temperature should be kept low to avoid excessive growth of microbes. Of the samples germinated at 15°C, only one contained low amounts of the Fusarium toxin deoxynivalenol (52 μg/kg). Germination led to the breakdown of β-glucans, but the decrease in the molecular weight of β-glucan was initially very slow. A short germination schedule (72 hr, 15°C) terminated with oven drying was developed to produce germinated oat with retained β-glucan content. Compared with the native oat, 55–60% of the β-glucan could be retained.
