Enhancement of Nutritional Quality by Optimization of Germination Parameters in Oats (Avena sativa L.) using Response Surface Methodology

Abstract

The germination process enhances the nutritional attributes of cereals by improving bioavailability of nutrients and reducing content of anti-nutritional factors. This study aims to optimize the germination process variables of oats (Avena sativa L.) using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for enhancing its nutritional value. A Central Composite Design (CCD) was employed to optimize the effects of soaking time (6-18 hrs), germination time (24- 72 hrs) and germination temperature (15-30 °C), on two response variables i.e. total protein content and phytate content. The developed models were found to be significant with high coefficients of determination (R²=0.87, protein content; 0.945, phytate content) and low p values (<0.05) in ANOVA, indicating good model adequacy. The optimized conditions obtained at 6 hr soaking, 61.25 hr germination at 15 °C temperature yielded 21.2 % (w/w) protein and 0.760 mg/g phytate, achieving an overall desirability of 0.935. The validation experiment yielded a good correspondence with the predicted result in optimized condition, and the experimental values are falling within 95% prediction interval. Optimized germination significantly improved the nutritional quality of oats, highlighting its potential in functional food development.