Perspectives in the Application of High, Medium, and Low Molecular Weight Oat β-D-Glucans in Dietary Nutrition and Food Technology-A Short Overview

For centuries human civilization has cultivated oats, and now they are consumed in various forms of food, from instant breakfasts to beverages. They are a nutrient-rich food containing linear mixed-linkage (1 -> 3) (1 -> 4)-beta-D-glucans, which are relatively well soluble in water and responsible for various biological effects: the regulation of the blood cholesterol level, as well as being anti-inflammatory, prebiotic, antioxidant, and tumor-preventing. Numerous studies, especially in the last two decades, highlight the differences in the biological properties of the oat beta-D-glucan fractions of low, medium, and high molecular weight. These fractions differ in their features due to variations in bioavailability related to the rheological properties of these polysaccharides, and their association with food matrices, purity, and mode of preparation or modification. There is strong evidence that, under different conditions, the molecular weight may determine the potency of oat-extracted beta-D-glucans. In this review, we intend to give a concise overview of the properties and studies of the biological activities of oat beta-D-glucan preparations depending on their molecular weight and how they represent a prospective ingredient of functional food with the potential to prevent or modulate various pathological conditions.

Automated summary

For centuries, oats have been cultivated by human civilization and consumed in various forms of food. They are rich in beta-D-glucans, which have various biological effects including regulating blood cholesterol, anti-inflammatory properties, prebiotic effects, and antioxidant and tumor-preventing properties. Recent studies have highlighted the differences in biological properties based on the molecular weight of oat beta-D-glucan fractions. This review aims to provide a concise overview of the properties and studies of oat beta-D-glucan preparations based on their molecular weight and their potential in functional food to prevent or modulate various pathological conditions.