At present, there are two kinds of oats planted: floating oats and naked oats. Weighed oat glumes are long and hard, and the seeds are surrounded by Yu Ying shells at maturity, while naked oat glumes are short and soft, and the seeds are exposed at maturity. Oats planted in the world are mainly floating type, while oats planted in China are mainly naked type. Naked oats have many aliases, called naked oats in North China, Yumai in Northwest China and Zhongmai in Northeast China.
Oats belong to the genus Panicum in the family Avenaceae, with sparse tufts, fibrous roots and erect stems, and the height is about 100 cm. Oats are most suitable for growing in areas with cool climate and abundant rainfall, and the lowest temperature for seed germination is 3-4℃. Seedlings can tolerate the low temperature of -2 ~ -4℃, adults can still grow slowly when they encounter the low temperature of -3 ~-4℃, and will suffer at -6℃. High temperature during flowering and filling will affect fruit setting. Oats need more water than other cereal crops to resist early maturity. Oats are not strict about the choice of soil. All kinds of soil can be planted, but the soil rich in organic matter is the best.
Among the nine kinds of cereals (wheat, rice, millet, corn, sorghum, barley, oats, buckwheat and yellow rice) that people eat daily in China, five nutritional indexes such as protein, fat, vitamins, mineral elements and cellulose of oats rank first. The protein content of oat seeds is higher than that of other cereal crops. Protein content in oat seeds is 12%-18%, fat content is 4%-6%, and starch content is 2 1% -55%. The fat content is four times that of rice, and the contents of eight amino acids and vitamin E required by human body are also higher than those of rice and white flour-naked oat fatty acid, which contains 38.66 refined oleic acid. Containing 2. 1% cellulose and 2% ash, it is a food with low sugar, high protein, high fat and high energy. It has high nutritional content and good quality. The essential amino acids in protein are in the best balance in cereals, and the contents of lysine and methionine are ideal, but these amino acids are seriously insufficient in rice and flour. For example, the content of essential fatty acids is very rich. Oleic acid accounts for more than one third of fatty acids, and it is also rich in vitamins and minerals. Vitamin B, in particular, ranks first among cereals.
Taking naked oats for 3 months can obviously reduce cholesterol, triglyceride and β -lipoprotein in cardiovascular and liver. Eating oatmeal for a long time has a good effect on atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and hypertension. Oat seeds also contain more vitamin E, which can maintain skin elasticity and physiological function and delay aging. The content of β -glucan in oats is also much higher than that of other cereal crops by 3%-6%. It has been proved that oat β -glucan can reduce the cholesterol content of human body and has therapeutic effect on diabetes.
Oats contain an oat essence, which has the unique flavor of cereals. Oats have been used as medicine since ancient times. They are sweet and warm in nature, and have the effects of strengthening the spleen, regulating the stomach, inducing labor, stopping sweating and stopping bleeding. Oat noodle soup is a dietary supplement for pregnant women, infants, patients with chronic diseases and the infirm after illness. In recent years, the oat processing industry has developed rapidly, and a variety of processed products such as oats, oat granules and oat special tea have become a big stream. With the improvement of people's living standards, people pay more and more attention to the reasonable food structure. From the perspective of "three highs and two lows" (that is, high protein, high vitamins, high cellulose, low fat and low sugar), oats are an ideal healthy food.