Understanding Oat Hydrolysis: How Enzymes Turn Grains into Functional Ingredients
Oats are a familiar ingredient — but when it comes to turning them into a stable, high-performance plant-based product, there’s more going on than meets the eye. One of the most important steps in that process is enzymatic hydrolysis.
What is hydrolysis?
Hydrolysis is a natural enzymatic reaction that breaks down large molecules (like starches and proteins) into smaller, more soluble ones. At Mak Food, we apply this process carefully to our oat base, improving its behaviour in complex food systems — especially in drinks, dairy alternatives and desserts.
When oats are hydrolyzed, two important things happen:
- Starch becomes more soluble — making the final product smoother and more stable.
- Natural sugars like maltose are released — adding sweetness without needing to add sugar on the label.
This gives our oat concentrate its characteristic thickness, mild sweetness and ability to blend easily into formulations — without the help of gums or emulsifiers.
Why it matters in food manufacturing
Without hydrolysis, oat drinks tend to separate. You get sedimentation, gritty textures or inconsistent performance when heating or mixing. Hydrolysis prevents that by improving emulsion and water-binding properties.
It also enhances the texture in cold applications, such as yogurts or puddings, making the mouthfeel richer and more consistent — even when the ingredient list stays short.
At Mak Food, we offer two hydrolyzed options:
- Standard Oat Concentrate (65 Brix – 62 DE): balanced sweetness and body
- Low Dextrose Oat Concentrate (65 Brix – 35 DE): for more neutral bases or savoury applications
Both are designed for scalability and stability in industrial settings, with viscosity ranging between 10,000–16,000 cps, and dry matter content around 70%.
Real-world applications
Hydrolyzed oat concentrate is not just a trend — it’s a real tool for formulating better plant-based products. Some typical uses include:
- Oat milk and barista-style drinks
- Vegan yogurts and fermented products
- Creamy desserts and ice creams
- Nutritional drinks and shots
- Muffins, pancakes, and bakery mixes
- Spreads and emulsified sauces
The improved stability means fewer complaints, fewer reformulations, and more flexibility when scaling up production.
Final thought
Hydrolysis may be a behind-the-scenes process, but its impact is easy to see — and taste. It turns a basic oat into a multifunctional, high-performance ingredient ready for modern plant-based innovation.