Oat Flour

How Oat Flour Travels from Farm to Plate

When someone takes a bite of a warm, fluffy and delicious piece of oat-based bread or a bowl of oatmeal, they might not think about the long journey it took for their food to make it to the dinner table. But it started at a farm, with oat seeds planted in the ground and harvested months later. From there, the oat grains need to be processed into flour, transported, stored, and prepared before they eventually reach our plates. The following is an exploration of how oat flour — from its beginnings on the farm to its final destination — is created and travels to end up at a dinner table.

The Natural Growth of Oats

The growth of oats begins with the planting of oat seeds in a field. Depending on the variety of oats, it will take approximately 75-90 days for the oats to reach maturity. Over this window of time, oats require sun, warmth, and adequate soil moisture in order to flourish.

Once the oats are mature, the field is ready for harvesting. There are two methods of harvesting oats: machine reaping or hand cutting. Both techniques will get the oats off the stalks and into a bundle to be taken to a threshing separation machine.

Most of the machine harvesting of oats happens on flat fields, due to the fact that combining in undulating areas can cause major losses. Harvest time is dependent on the region and the variety of oats being grown, but typically happens between mid-August and mid-September.

From Farm to Mill

Once the oats are harvested, they are either taken directly to a mill for processing or stored for short-term use. If the oats are stored, it is important to keep them dry, since wet oats will spoil quickly. The oats are stored in a ventilated commercial storage facility to minimize heat and moisture until they are milled into flour.

At the mill, the oats are cleaned and processed to remove any debris or foreign materials, and then they are measured and weighed. The oats are then hulled — the process of removing the hard outer protective covering of the oat grain. This process reduces the oat’s overall weight, resulting in flour with less protein, fat and fibre, but with a finer texture.

The oats are then milled into oat flour. The oat flour is passed through machines that grind the oats into a fine powder that is then packaged into bags, sacks, or containers. Once the product is ready, it is shipped out and sent to grocery stores, bakeries, and other food retailers.

Transporting, Storing and Preparing

The next step on the journey of oat flour is transporting and storing. The oat flour is packaged in bags, sacks, or containers that are stacked on pallets and loaded onto trucks for transportation to its final destination. During this process, the temperature and humidity need to be closely monitored to make sure that the moisture level of the flour stays consistent.

Once the oat flour arrives at its destination, it is stored in a building that is safe from outside elements to maintain the quality of the product. If the oat flour is being stored for longer periods of time, it must be kept away from moisture, light and heat. It is also important to label all containers, so that it is easy to keep track of the product and expiration date.

The last step in the journey of oat flour is preparation. The oat flour can either be used as is, without any additional processing, or it can be mixed with other ingredients to make oat-based products like oatmeal, oat bran, oat cake, oat pancake mix, oat-based muffins, and oat-based bread.

Conclusion

Oat flour is an important, nutritious and versatile food source that plays an essential role in the diets of many people around the world. It takes an incredible amount of work and effort from start to finish for an oat grain to make its way onto a dinner plate. From planting, harvesting, milling, storing, and preparing, oat flour has a long and complicated journey to get to its final destination. Despite its complex creation path, it is worth it due to the nutritious and delicious dishes that it can provide.