title: Content and molecular weight of extractable beta-glucan in American and Swedish oat samples.
abstract: beta-(1-->3),(1-->4)-D-Glucan (beta-glucan) was extracted from 93 Swedish and 41 American oat samples using hot water containing CaCl(2) and thermostable alpha-amylase. The samples showed a large variation in both the content of extractable beta-glucan (0.76-3.68%) and the average molecular weight ((1.25-1.78) x 10(6) g mol(-1)). An analysis of the variance of beta-glucan content and the molecular weight of Swedish oat samples grown in 2000 and 2001 was done with cultivar and harvest year as factors. It showed that the extractable beta-glucan content was a heritable trait whereas molecular weight depended more on environmental factors. The American oat samples had a higher average content of extractable beta-glucan (2.24%) and a somewhat higher average molecular weight (1.58 x 10(6) g mol(-1)) than the Swedish oat samples (1.43% and 1.49 x 10(6) g mol(-1)).
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7051, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden. Anu.Ajithkumar@lmv.slu.se
authors.forename: Anu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ajithkumar
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aman
mesh_terms: D018554:Avena / Q000737:chemistry*; D002122:Calcium Chloride; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008970:Molecular Weight; D013548:Sweden; D014481:United States; D000516:alpha-Amylases; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D047071:beta-Glucans; D000516:alpha-Amylases; D002122:Calcium Chloride