Integrative lipidomics and proteomics reveal the aging mechanisms of heat-treated oat flour during long-term storage

Heat treatment is a critical step in oat flour processing, essential for enzyme inactivation and shelf-life extension. However, the aging mechanisms during long-term storage remain largely unexplored. This study employed TMT-based proteomics and lipidomics to investigate molecular-level aging mechanisms in fresh and 9-month-stored raw and heat-treated (drum-roasted) oat flours. Heat treatment significantly improved storage stability by inactivating lipoxygenase, α-amylase, and β-1,3-glucanase, thereby slowing protein metabolism. It altered the functions of catalysis-, ion binding-, and metabolism-related proteins while suppressing nutrient-storage proteins. Lipidomic analysis revealed a reduction in lipid metabolite abundance and slower lipid degradation, with triglyceride metabolic networks playing a distinct role in aging stability. Integrated omics analysis highlighted enhanced synergistic interactions between proteins and lipid metabolites in the arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, and glycerolipid metabolism after heat treatment. These findings provide theoretical and technical insights into optimizing oat flour processing and storage strategies.