Peer review

The chemical composition, yield values, and protein quality were measured in 12 oat varieties cultivated in Norway. The protein quality was based on amino acid composition and true protein digestibility, biological value, net protein utilization, and utilizable protein obtained in N-balance experiments with rats. The protein concentration in dry matter varied from 10.25% to 15.69% while fat varied from 5.70% to 10.41%. The variation in readily soluble carbohydrates, crude fiber, ash, and tannin was relatively low. Dry matter yield per hectar varied from 1675 to 6222 kg. The yield of protein, fat, and essential amino acids was also highest in the variety with the highest yield. True protein digestibility was above 90% in all varieties while the biological value was in the range of 74.5%–79.6%. In contrast to most other cereal grains, protein quality was not affected by protein concentration. This resulted in utilizable protein above 10% for several of the oat varieties.

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