OAT FLAKES
OLD
REGULAR ROLLED OATS
QUICK ROLLED OATS
OAT
HISTORY & INFORMATION
The
origin of oats can be traced back to about 2000 BC.
Archaeological discoveries reveal that oats originated in the Middle
East, particularly in the areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.
Some evidence of oats was found in Egypt among the ancient lake dwellers
of what is now Switzerland. Today
oats are grown all around the world with the former Soviet Union being the
largest producer. (2)
Oats
are one of the more difficult cereal grains to process and manufacture into food
items. To process oats for human
consumption, the hulls are removed and the interior portion or groat is ready
for further processing. The groat
has fibers or hairs that must be removed since these fibers are very bitter.
After the removal of these bitter fibers, the groats must be stabilized
by a heat process in order to inactivate enzymes which if not inactivated would
cause the groat to become rancid.
In
the whole grain, oats contain the largest quantity of protein of any of the
naturally occurring cereal grains and have a protein quality that compares
favorably with the protein of other cereal grains.
Oats have ample carbohydrate of a high digestibility, except for fiber,
which has desirable physiological properties.
Oats have the highest level of fat of any of the cereal grains, and the
fat has a favorable ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fats.
Many of the vitamins and minerals of oats are found in the bran and germ.
(1)