Innovations to produce superfoods

Finnish oats find demand worldwide, and it is constantly studied to develop new products for the market. The challenge in producing this super raw material is that the four tonnes of oats with hulls provide just 2.5 tonnes of raw material fit for food use. The remaining 1.5 tonnes is a side fraction resulting from sorting and hulling. In addition, harvesting leaves about 4 tonnes of straw in the field.

So far the side fraction of oats production has not been efficiently used. Now the aim is to develop the processing of the side fraction and straw to improve the profitability of oats production and the quality of oats. In the project carried out by means if the innovation funding the Natural Resources Institute Finland, together with researchers, advisers, cereal and technology companies and farmers, investigates how the plant mass created in oats production could produce raw materials to be used for various purposes, including as soil improvers and feed.

If the methods tested in the project meet the expectations, this is a significant step forward in the production of high-quality oats and for creating new innovative oats products. In the years to come the results of the project should be reflected in the everyday operations of oats producers: there is equipment available to process the side fraction to be utilised for other purposes, which improves the profitability of oats production.
– Events for farmers will be organised all through the project to share the most recent information on the results, says the leader of the project Veli Hietaniemi from the Natural Resources Institute Finland.

More information: Veli Hietaniemi, Researcher, Natural Resources Institute Finland,
veli.hietaniemi (a) luke.fi

Date updated: Feb 17, 2020