COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE OF HIGH-OIL OAT

Oat (Avena sativa L.) selections with elevated oil concentrations rang ing from 6.9 to 18.1% were obtained from a recurrent selection breedin g regime at Iowa State University. These selections, along with two co ntrol cultivars, were analysed to determine their tocol(tocopherol and tocotrienol), protein, starch and beta-glucan concentrations. Selecti ons were also compared by histochemical techniques that stained the oi l bodies? protein and beta-glucan. Tocotrienol concentration was corre lated with oil concentration (r(2)=0.83), but tocopherol concentration was not Tocotrienols are predominantly located in the endosperm. wher eas tocopherols are concentrated in the germ. Tocotrienols are antioxi dants and have cholesterol-lowering properties in humans and experimen tal animals. Protein and beta-glucan concentrations also increased wit h increasing oil concentration, whereas starch concentration decreased . The micrographs showed that oil and protein were distributed through out the endosperm. Selections having greater oil and protein concentra tion by nuclear magnetic resonance and near infrared transmittance ass ay also showed increased fluorescence. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited .