Naked oats

Abstract

Oats have many interesting features. However, throughout the world, the crop is generally much less important in agriculture and commerce than the major temperate cereals wheat and barley. The main drawback of oats is its thick fibrous husk which lowers the energy value of the grain for feeding to livestock. Moreover, the proportion of husk to kernel or groat can vary considerably, according to environmental factors and variety. Good quality husked oats are suitable for feeding to ruminants, but with increasing levels of fibre, nutrient digestibility decreases Thomke, 1988. In non-ruminants, such as pigs and poultry, the ability to cope with fibre in the diet is very limited. Another feature of oats is the low bulk density of the grain which makes it more expensive to transport and store than other raw materials. These are disadvantages in price-sensitive markets. For human consumption, the inner kernel is the part utilized, the husk being removed mechanically. This requires considerable expertise, capital equipment and energy. On the other hand, the husk protects the kernel from damage which could lead to rancidity or reduction in germination. In the past, oat husk has been used for the industrial production of chemicals such as furfural. However, the main use for separated oat husk is as a low value inclusion in animal feeds.