New info produced on oat-based raw materials

An extensive Finnish consortium will produce new information on oat-based raw materials for the development of novel oat innovations by means of both research and business development,said The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland in a press release.

This will be achieved through OatHow project funded by Business Finland.

Thanks to its health-promoting properties, oats have attracted a lot of well-deserved attention. In Finland, oats are applied to more diverse uses than before as a raw material for innovative food products. Finland is one of the world's biggest oats producers. At present, the Finnish oats consumption per capita is about 7.3 kg, and the consumption is increasing by some 10% a year.

The growing global interest in oat products gives oat producing countries like Finland an opportunity to enter on the global oats trade and oat products market with significant volumes. However, the product development is held back by insufficient understanding of how the quality and composition of oat crop batches affects the oat processability and end product quality. The lack of practical indicators of oat quality and applicability to various food processes is a global challenge.

"Consumers are looking for new and health beneficial products that are produced in a sustainable way, so there really is great export potential for high-quality oat products made by the Finnish food industry," said Emilia Nordlund, the coordinator of the OatHow project at VTT.

OatHow is part of a project entity funded by Business Finland that consists of a public research project and four parallel company projects starting simultaneously (Valio, Fazer, Helsinki Mills and Boreal Plant Breeding Ltd). In addition to Business Finland and the research partners involved, the funding providers for the OatHow project include nine companies representing the oat chain from field to table (Avena, Kinnusen Mylly, Lantmännen Agro, Myllyn Paras, Plantanova, Polar Glucan, Raisio, Vaasan, Viking Malt).