Newswise — Food scientist Padu Krishnan, a professor
in the South Dakota State University Department of Dairy and Food
Science, has received a three-year, nearly $450,000 National Institute
of Food and Agriculture grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Through this project, the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station
researcher will further improve the quality of oats grown in North
America and develop new products that will take oats beyond the
breakfast aisle.
The new project builds upon work in which
Krishnan and graduate student Devendra Paudel developed a near-infrared
spectrometer (NIRS) calibration to quantify beta glucan content in oat
samples. This is a faster, less costly method of quantifying beta
glucan, which is the soluble fiber in oats that helps decrease blood
cholesterol levels. The NIRS calibration was developed through funding
from Grain Millers and General Mills, processors of oat cereals.
“This
grant application was successful since we had preliminary data and a
proof-of-concept that NIRS can effectively predict multiple grain
nutrients simultaneously,” Krishnan explained. “We also had the support
of industry partners and university investment in the oat breeding
program through the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station."
SDSU
oat breeder Melanie Caffé is co-principal investigator on the project.
She and Krishnan worked together on a previous USDA grant designed to
speed up the oats breeding process and develop cultivars that are higher
in beta glucan. In 2016, South Dakota was the No. 1 oat-producing
state, according to USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.
“The
development of the NIRS calibrations for protein, beta-glucan and oil
content enable us to select breeding lines for increased nutritional
properties,” Caffé said. “This new grant will provide additional tools
for us to use in developing new oat cultivars with characteristics that
meet processors’ needs and provide increased health benefits for
consumers.”
In 2016, General Mills relocated its oat breeding
program to Brookings, in part, to facilitate collaboration with
Krishnan, Caffé and other SDSU scientists.
Measuring multiple oat-quality parameters
“It
is about building the quality of oats,” Krishnan said. Through this new
funding, he and his team will further improve their NIRS calibration as
a single analytical platform for determining the quality of oats. “We
can build predictive calibrations, new parental lines, and research
tools that can be used develop to oat varieties specific to our region,”
he said.
“The NIR spectra is like a fingerprint—we relate the
spectral information with a reference method to provide a rapid analysis
method that maintains accuracy and precision,” Krishnan explained. By
increasing the number of samples from other states, he can also build a
robust national calibration.
“Using one instrument, we can
determine moisture, protein, fat, carbohydrate and beta glucan content,”
he said. “It’s a holistic view of oats—and we can do the analysis with
oat groats (hull-removed) that can then be planted in the ground to get
the next generation. This is a powerful tool for the plant breeder and
the food technologist”
The growing conditions affect the quality
of the oats crop, Krishnan explained. “The kernel must fill at a certain
time in the growing cycle. If it does not have the moisture needed, it
may not fill fully.” When the oats are tested, the relationship between
nutrients can be explained by the effects of genetics and the growing
conditions.
Krishnan likened the NIRS grain quality analysis to a
physician examining a patient. “One needs to measure several parameters
or components to make a diagnosis as single measurements don’t tell the
whole story,” he said. “Knowing as much as we can about the grain with a
single machine gives the oat processor and the breeder better
decision-making tools.
Developing new oat products
In
addition, Krishnan and his team will look at variables that affect the
milling and flaking qualities of oats. They will also try to improve
product shelf life and stability. One postdoctoral researchers and two
graduate students will work on the project.
“Our goal is to take
the oats beyond the breakfast aisle,” said Krishnan. Graduate students
are developing an oat beverage, incorporating oat flour in Asian noodles
and using oats as a thickener for products, such as soup. “We are
talking about a whole host of new oat products that are high in beta
glucan.”
