Oat beta-glucan

What is beta-glucan?

Beta-glucans are soluble polysaccharides found in cereals, yeasts, fungi and other plant foods. The structure of beta-glucans differs between sources, which affects their solubility, viscosity and physiological effects. Oat beta-glucan has a characteristic structure and properties that distinguish it from beta-glucans from other sources.

Oat flakes contain around 4.5 g of beta-glucan per 100 g. Most of the beta-glucan is located in the subaleurone layer of the oat kernel, with the remainder in the aleurone layer.

How oat beta-glucan works

When beta-glucan comes into contact with liquid, it forms a viscous solution. This physical property is central to many of the physiological effects investigated in research. Studies have examined its influence on cholesterol metabolism, post-meal blood glucose, satiety and the gut microbiota.

Scientific research continues to investigate how the amount consumed, the number of daily servings, food matrix, molecular weight and viscosity influence the physiological effects of oat beta-glucan.

EU-authorised health claims

Claims about the relationship between food and health (health claims) and claims that suggest that a food has beneficial nutritional properties (nutrition claims) are regulated by the European Union and need authorization to their use. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is responsible for evaluating the scientific evidence supporting health claims.

Four health claims related to oats have been approved:

• two relating to the maintenance or reduction of blood cholesterol,
• one relating to oat dietary fiber and its effect on increase faecal mass,
• and one relating to post-prandial blood glucose.

The product must achieve the conditions of use laid out in the EFSA opinion, i.e., reaching a certain amount of, e.g., beta-glucans per day or per portion, in order to bear the claim. For example, the established condition associated with the cholesterol-lowering claim is a daily intake of 3 g of oat beta-glucan.