Impact of ultrasound on nutrition recovery and physicochemical properties of oat beverage
Esther Kwok, Jingqi Yang, Parinaz Taheri, Lingyun Chen
Abstract
Oat beverage has become increasingly popular, yet its processing removes valuable nutritional components and results in waste stream. This study evaluated the use of ultrasound as a pre-treatment technology to improve nutrient recovery in oat beverage preparation. Various ultrasound power levels (60, 240, and 960 W) and treatment times (1, 5, and 9 min) were investigated for their effects on physical and chemical changes during oat beverage preparation. Ultrasound effectively reduced the size of larger oat grain fibrous particles while largely leaving smaller size compounds unaffected. Partial disintegration of cell wall structures was also observed under confocal laser scanning microscopy. This resulted in a significant increase (up to 39%) in β-glucan recovery with minor alteration to its molecular weight in oat beverage, preserving its inherent health benefits. Protein recovery was not improved, but ultrasound led to partial unfolding of tertiary structure, improving protein solubility and foaming properties of oat beverage, which could be beneficial in developing coffee-based beverages and desserts. The shear-thinning behavior of oat beverage was maintained after ultrasound treatment, benefiting processing efficiency and mouthfeel. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of ultrasound as a sustainable pre-treatment technology to enhance the nutritional quality and physicochemical properties of oat beverage.