The objective of the present work was the chemical characterization of the following oats (Avena sativa L.) cultivars: UPF-15, UPF-16, CTC-03, and UFRGS-14, recently selected by the Brazilian oat genetic improvement program, in the south of Brazil. Chemical characterization was accomplished by proximate percent composition, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids determination. All four cultivars studied presented high concentrations of proteins (13.95 to 16.52%) and lipids (6.33 to 7.50%). Dietary fiber contents (soluble and insoluble) were also relatively high, average of 4.76 and 6.36%, for soluble and insoluble fiber, respectively and, consequently, the starch content was relatively low (53.26% on average). The amino acid composition was adequate, similar to the FAO standard, lisine and threonine were the first and second limiting amino acids. The cultivars presented high concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids, with linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids accounting for 96% of the total. No large differences were found among the cultivars. However, the UFRGS-14 was superior to the other cultivars nutritionally and in various chemical aspects.
Oat; percent composition; fatty acids; minerals; amino acids
