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Identification of Sprout Damage in Oats

¹USDA-ARS Hard Red Spring and Durum Wheat Quality Laboratory, Harris Hall, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105. Names are necessary to report factually on available data; however, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product, and the use of the name by the USDA implies no approval of the product to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable. ²Corresponding author. Douglas.Doehlert@ndsu.nodak.edu. ³Department of Plant Sciences, Loftsgard Hall, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105.

Sprout damage of oats can occur when mature grain is left in the field after maturity and rainfall induces the germination process in the seeds. Although characteristics of sprout damage have been described thoroughly in many grains including wheat, rye, triticale, and barley, such characteristics have not been identified in oats. During a field study of oat quality, one site exhibited much higher rates of groat breakage during dehulling than other sites. Determination of falling number values on groat flour and a visual inspection of the grain suggested that the higher rates of groat breakage were associated with sprout damage. This hypothesis was confirmed with artificially sprouted oats, where sprouted grain exhibited lower falling numbers and lower stirring number values, suggesting increased α-amylase activity in the sprouted oats. Sprouted oats exhibited much more breakage during dehulling, decreased β-glucan concentration, and decreased β-glucan integrity, as evaluated from the viscosity of steamed groat flour slurries. We suggest that the increased breakage was a result of the weakening of cell walls, as evidenced by the loss of β-glucan concentration and integrity.