Oat starch: Physico-chemical, morphological, rheological characteristics and its applications - A review

Oat starch is getting attention owing to its usefulness and potential in a number of food and non-food applications. Starch is by far the main component of oat grains and possesses some unique chemical, physical, and structural properties when compared with other cereal starches. Oat starch offers untypical properties such as small size of granules, well-developed granule surface and high lipid content. Variation in amylose and amylopectin proportion along with the properties associated with the amylopectin molecule makes diversity in composition of oat starch. The pasting and rheological properties of oat starches control food product quality. This review articles outlines the recent developments in understanding of the starch isolation, chemical composition, morphology, pasting, rheological and thermal characteristics and various application of oat starch. Potential applications of oat starches are also reviewed.