Biochemical characteristics of the main botanical varieties of cultivated oats from the VIR collection

Background. The uses of oat, one of the most important cereal crops, are predetermined by the quality of its grain. The objective was to study the chemical composition features in Avena sativa L. var. inermis Koern., A. sativa var. aurea Koern., and A. sativa var. mutica Alef. in order to identify accessions from the VIR collection that could serve as sources of high protein, starch, oil, high and low beta-glucan content, and optimal fatty acid composition for food and feed purposes, and to analyze the metabolic profiles of the studied oat varieties.

Materials and methods. The studied material represented three botanical varieties of A. sativa of different geographic origin, reproduced in 2021–2023 in Northwest Russia. Biochemical parameters were assessed according to the guidelines adopted by VIR.

Results. The chemical composition (the content of protein, starch, oil, beta-glucans, antioxidants, phenolic compounds, fatty acids, and metabolites) in the grain of three oat varieties was analyzed, and its nutritional food and feed value was established. The variability and interrelations among the studied features were identified.

Conclusion. The naked oat accessions significantly differed from the covered ones in higher values of all the studied parameters. Statistically significant differences were found in the chemical composition of the grain in the three oat varieties. A. sativa accessions, differing in the presence/absence of the hull and the color of the flower glumes (white or yellow), also manifested significant differences in the intensity of major physiological and biochemical processes. Potential possibilities of using individual genotypes of cultivated oats were revealed, and accessions were identified as sources of valuable traits for various areas of breeding for food and feed purposes.

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