Effects of Heat Treatment of Oats on Eating Quality and Digestive Properties of Dried Noodles

Oat noodles have promising market prospects owing to their rich dietary fiber, polyphenols, and flavonoids. This study aims to enhance the anti‐digestive properties of oat noodles while maintaining their eating quality. Oat whole flour was subject to four heat methods, namely microwave (MW), heat‐moisture (HMT), stir‐frying (SF), roasting (RT), and then blended with wheat flour to produce oat noodles. The noodles’ texture, cooking and digestive properties, starch crystal type, and microstructure were systematically evaluated. The results showed that SF, microwave, and RT significantly optimized eating quality. Among these, SF and MW notably enhanced anti‐digestive properties, reducing the estimated glycemic index (eGI) to 59.10 and 61.79, respectively, and increasing starch crystallinity to 13.81% and 12.75%, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) revealed denser microstructures, more continuous protein networks, and uniform starch encapsulation in these two treatment groups. These findings confirm that appropriate heat treatments can effectively improve eating and digestive properties of oat noodles.