This is how oats reached the top – and stay there

The triumph of oats is based on research, product development and technology, not forgetting consumer interest. Oats left an impression on me in the late 1990s and early 2000s when I participated in cereal research programmes launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Even though rye had the reputation of being a healthy cereal, my intuition was that we would be hearing a lot about oats.

The properties and chemical composition of oats meant that they could be used in various ways in the food and feed sectors. Studies proved that different oat varieties have highly different chemical composition. What was particularly interesting with oats was the contents of beta-glucans, proteins, fats, and fatty acids. In terms of safety, we studied concentrations of heavy metals, cadmium in particular, and mycotoxins.The oats research programmes were followed by research which focused on the ingredients of oats. Soluble fibre, beta-glucan, high-quality protein, and oil was separated from oats. New technologies were introduced at the same time, and the supercritical fluid extraction to remove fat and to crystallise and separate ingredients, combined with mechanical separation processes, increased belief in oat innovation and product applications. Healthy oats with many new product applications turned into a sensation in 20 years. The success story of oats is driven by the popularity of a vegetarian diet, focus on health and welfare, lifestyle changes, the ever increasing use of oats as feed, sustainable development, environmental issues, and climate change mitigation.If it weren’t for the persistent research and hard work of research institutions and universities, oats wouldn’t have reached the top. Another cornerstone in the success story of oats was built by innovative SMEs and major corporations that invested heavily in R&D. What has truly pushed oats to the top in recent years has been consumer behaviour. Key figures representing sales of oat products speak for themselves. Oats are turned into bread, flakes for various uses; cookies; beverages; yoghurt-like products; meat substitutes, such as pulled oats; oat mince and oat balls; pasta; various pastries and snacks, chocolate; liquorice; and ice cream.It’s windy at the top, and the competition is only getting harder. We need to take good care of the continuously renewing oat product range and take over new ground in international markets. To survive in tough competition, we need ambitious work and continuous improvement throughout the oat chain. Research must also raise its game.

The Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) is strengthening its expertise in food R&D and circular economy applications by purchasing a new multi-screw extruder. Extrusion means a thermo-mechanical processing method for different raw materials. In the food sector, extruders can be used to make breakfast cereals, crisps, snacks, pasta, and meat substitutes.  This multi-screw extruder helps us expand our research and service range to cereals, feed, special crops, berries, legumes, straw, wood, sawdust, peat and other biomass, as well as their by-products such as chaff, hulls, and mill industry side streams.

Using multi-screw extrusion, we have already made organic matter, humus, from side streams generated during oat drying, sorting and de-hulling, and from oat straw to improve the structure of agricultural land, bind nutrients and sequester carbon. Currently, the extrusion process for plant-based side streams produces a reactive mass which can be used as a material to replace plastics, a biocomposite or an organic fertiliser.The deployment of future technologies, together with multidisciplinary applied research and companies, lays the foundation for innovative food, feed, and circular economy products, and enables new business. Future R&D projects of Luke’s extrusion centre focus on plant- and animal-based raw materials, food and feed products, and circular economy innovation. The future lies in the deployment of new technologies, more efficient and modern processes, and the use of renewable energy. The motto of our extrusion centre and its ecosystem is: Nothing new can be made without taking risks – it’s time to make dreams come true and take over new areas.