Development of oat malt production technology using plasma-chemically activated aqueous solutions

The object of the study was oat malt production. The result of the presented study is the development of a technology for gluten-free oat malt production using cold plasma-treated technological solutions. The material for the study was oat grain. The main technological task is to obtain high-quality oat malt, which, in turn, will be suitable for producing gluten-free beverages and highly nutritious foods. The expediency of using cold plasma-treated aqueous solutions as an activator of the oat malting process and an effective disinfectant of the technological process and the finished product (oat malt) was experimentally proved. It was confirmed that using cold plasma-treated aqueous solutions can accelerate the oat germination process: the germination energy increased by 6–14 %; germination capacity by 2–10 %. The moisture content of oats when moistened increases by 6–37 %. Analysis of the amylolytic enzymatic activity showed a dynamic increase of 17.6 %. The result was the breakdown of carbohydrates. Thus, the amount of starch decreased by 2.4 %, fiber did not undergo significant changes, and the content of simple sugars increased by 2.3 %. The proteolytic activity of oat malt increased by 18.1 %. An increase in the amount of amino acids in the experimental samples was noted. The total amount of amino acids is 793 mg/100 g of product higher than in the control (i.e. by 3 %). There was also an increase in the content of vitamins B (B1, B2), as well as vitamin C, the content of which increased by 5.6 %. Disinfecting properties of cold plasma-treated aqueous solutions in relation to oat malt were noted. The innovative technology of oat malt production can be implemented in the industrial production of gluten-free malts for the brewing industry and for producing gluten-free foods.