Abstract The physiological functionality of cereal beta-glucan (β-glucan) has been mainly attributed to its ability to form viscous solutions in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The viscosity is dependent on the concentration, extractability and molecular weight of β-glucan, and to enable maximal functionality, these factors should therefore be acknowledged and their role in the physiological functionality of cereal β-glucan further studied. An in vitro GI simulation with separate oral, gastric and small intestine phases was used to model the state of β-glucan from various oat products in the GI tract. A rather large variation (from 26% to 99%) was observed in the extractabilities between product categories, with the highest extractabilities observed in spoonable products. The viscosities also varied highly within categories. When the comparison was done at similar concentration levels, the highest viscosities were observed in the products produced through dry processes, and moisture content during processing was suggested to be essential to the extent of β-glucan degradation. The viscosity in samples that were likely to exhibit enzymatic activity was shown to be rather low, and thus the physiological functionality of β-glucan may be threatened if the product also contains grain ingredients other than kiln-dried oat. Clear differences were observed in the functionality of β-glucan in the GI tract model depending on a product type, and these were explained by differences in ingredients and processes. However, further studies are needed to specify the influence of each factor and to clarify the factors determining the physiological functionality of β-glucan in food products.

中文翻译：

---

胃肠道模型肠期燕麦产品中β-葡聚糖的粘度

摘要 谷物 β-葡聚糖 (β-葡聚糖) 的生理功能主要归因于其在胃肠 (GI) 道中形成粘性溶液的能力。粘度取决于 β-葡聚糖的浓度、可提取性和分子量，为了实现最大的功能性，因此应该承认这些因素，并进一步研究它们在谷物 β-葡聚糖生理功能中的作用。具有单独的口腔、胃和小肠阶段的体外 GI 模拟用于模拟来自各种燕麦产品的 β-葡聚糖在胃肠道中的状态。在产品类别之间的可提取性中观察到相当大的变化（从 26% 到 99%），在可勺性产品中观察到的最高提取率。不同类别的粘度也有很大差异。当在相似的浓度水平下进行比较时，在通过干法生产的产品中观察到最高的粘度，并且表明加工过程中的水分含量对 β-葡聚糖降解的程度至关重要。可能表现出酶活性的样品的粘度相当低，因此如果产品还包含除窑干燕麦以外的谷物成分，β-葡聚糖的生理功能可能会受到威胁。根据产品类型，在 GI 道模型中观察到 β-葡聚糖的功能存在明显差异，这可以通过成分和工艺的差异来解释。然而，