Oat flour is used in baby cereals and rolled oats are a major ingredient in granola cereals and bars. With increased interest in health and nutrition, oats will continue to find new used in food products. Oats and Dietary Guidance Complex carbohydrates should supply the majority of our calories according to all current dietary guidance. Oats and oat products can contribute to this necessary grain intake. Nutritional Properties of Oats Oats, like other cereal grains, are valued primarily as a source of carbohydrates to provide calories for energy needs.
Oats contribute both starch and dietary fiber to the diet.
Because of a higher concentration of well-balanced protein than other cereals, oats have greater potential value to provide protein, especially for vegetarians. Oats also contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids and, in recent years, have been recognized as an important source of soluble fiber. Carbohydrates Starch is the most abundant constitutent of the oat grain. The amount of resistant starch in a product is determined by the fiber content of the food, food processing, the presence of antinutrients and enzyme inhibitors, and interactions between starch and protein components in starch granules. Resistant starch is probably metabolized in a manner similar to dietary fiber in the body.