8.3.3 Oat bran
Oat grain contains a highly insoluble cellulose- rich outer shell or hull. De hulling
yields two products: hull material and the inner kernel, the oat groat. Only a few
food ingredients are derived from hull, and the majority of the hull fraction, the
main component of which is cellulose, is used as ruminant feed. The chemical
composition and properties of the hull-based dietary fi bre ingredients are very
different from the bran obtained by milling of groats.
Unlike wheat and rye, oats are normally thermally treated prior to processing to
ensure adequate shelf life. The thermal treatment, kilning, renders the majority of