The dietary fiber is composed by cellulose, hemi-celluloses, gums, pectins, and mucilages, being classified as soluble or insoluble depending on its solubility in water. Beta-glucans are a fraction of the soluble dietary fiber, being important due to its functional properties and effects in reducing cholesterol and glucose. This work aimed at evaluating the levels of soluble, insoluble, and total dietary fiber, as well as the amount of beta-glucans, present in grains of oat cultivars recommended by the Brazilian Commission for Oat Research. Oat grains were hulled, the caryopses were ground and the samples packaged and stored at temperature of -20ºC. The dietary fiber analysis used the AOAC (1997). Among the analyzed cultivars, UPF 7, UPF 13, UPF 14 and UPF 16 had the highest levels of insoluble fiber, while UFRGS 7, CTC 13, UPF 16, and CTC 2 had more soluble fiber. The cultivar UPF 16 presented the highest level of total fiber, followed by UFRGS 7, CTC 13, and UFRGS 18. The amount of beta-glucans determined by the AOAC (1997) was higher for UFRGS 7, UPF 14, and UFRGS 18 than for the other cultivars.
oat; composition; dietary fiber; beta-glucans
