An experimental study was conducted to identify treatment conditions for sterilizing naked oats while retaining inherent enzyme activity. Naked oats were processed with superheated steam (SS) with variations in processing times (1–5 min) and temperature (140–200C). The number of bacteria and molds were significantly decreased as the SS temperature and exposure time increased. After naked oats were treated with SS at 160–170C for 2 min, the number of microbes were reduced below the safe storage limit. The SS treatment effectively reduced populations of bacteria and mold and had a less pronounced effect on enzymatic activity. This method shows great potential for usage as a sterilization treatment in the food processing industry.
Practical Applications
Superheated steam technique can effectively reduce disinfection time, control microbial biofilms and enhance safety in the cereal food processing industry.