Oat Milk Powder (Chocolate) – Organic

Chocolate Oat Milk Powder is a creamy, plant-based beverage mix crafted from the natural goodness of oats. Smooth and satisfying with a rich chocolate flavor, it makes an excellent alternative to dairy. Simply blend with water for a quick drink, or add it to coffee, smoothies, and protein shakes for a delicious boost. Its mild sweetness and silky texture also make it a perfect ingredient in baking and dessert recipes.

Convenient and shelf-stable, Chocolate Oat Milk Powder offers versatility in the kitchen and on the go. Use it to create hot cocoa, enhance pancake batter, or stir into oatmeal for added flavor. With its easy-to-use powdered form, you can enjoy the taste of chocolate oat milk anytime, anywhere, without the need for refrigeration.

Chocolate Oat Milk 

 

To understand the process of making oat milk, you must know the difference between the various oats on the market.

 

All oats begin in complete form with the husk (the tough outer covering protecting each grain) intact. Once the husk is removed, you now have what is known as the groat, which is processed to create various oats that differ in texture, taste, and cooking time.

• Steel-cut oats (also known as Irish oatmeal) are most closely related to the original groat. They are produced by chopping the groats into pieces with steel blades, creating a coarse, chewy texture and nutty flavor. This form of oats takes the longest preparation time (15-30 minutes).

• Rolled oats (old-fashioned oats) are created when the groat goes through a steaming process, then flattened by heavy rollers. Rolled oats have a milder flavor and softer texture (because the steaming process has partially cooked them) and a shorter cooking time (4-5 minutes) than steel-cut oats.

• Quick oats are essentially oats that have been rolled, go through a steaming (partial cooking) process, and then rolled again. The purpose is a faster cooking time (1-2 minutes), creating a soft, mushy texture.

 

Oat Milk

Oat milk is a dairy-free alternative to cow’s milk created by blending oats and water and straining the mixture. 

This process would produce excellent, creamy oat milk in a perfect world.

 

Unfortunately, this is not the case, as you often end up with a slimy, gel-like concoction.

 

If you have ever made oatmeal, you know this is the same end product. When you soak oats in hot water, they swell and gelatinize due to how the starch reacts to the heat.

 

The starch in oats comprises two kinds of sugar; 

• Amylose (Is hydrosoluble and starts to break water down) and
• Amylopectin (Absorbs water and can swell up to ten times its size). Once free, amylose begins bonding with other molecules, resulting in this gel-like consistency.

 

For this reason, oat milk must undergo an enzymatic process to create a creamy, silky-smooth texture. The primary enzyme used in the “desliming” process is amylase, commonly found in bananas, mangos, and papayas.

 

Amylase is an enzyme specific for breaking down starches. In oats, it will turn the long sugar chain amylose and amylopectin structure into smaller chains of glucose, preventing the typical gelatinous-like result. Once these sugars break down, they will give your oat milk a naturally sweet taste. 

 

Polysaccharides and Beta Glucans

Polysaccharides are large carbohydrate molecules containing many small sugar molecules (monosaccharides) bonded together and are the most abundant carbohydrate found in food.

 

Polysaccharides comprise more than ten monosaccharide units linked together and form when monosaccharides and disaccharides link together (resulting from dehydration). The sugars participating in this bond are called residues.

 

Oats are deemed a quality source of non-starch polysaccharides, which make up around 60% of their total soluble fiber. Beta Glucans are a type of polysaccharide and soluble fiber from the cell walls of plants, fungi, and grains. The primary component of the non-starch polysaccharides in oats is beta-glucans 1-3 and 1-4 (A total of 4% beta-glucans).

 

Studies show that these non-starch polysaccharides found in oats potentially support a wide range of factors related to metabolic syndrome. 

 

A review of the role of non-starchy polysaccharides in human nutrition determined that NSP’s compounds correspond to dietary fiber and show various effects in both the small and large intestines.

 

A randomized control study looking at oat beta-glucan’s effect on serum cholesterol showed a significant reduction in total and LDL cholesterol.

 

Finally, in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, the following was stated about beta-glucans effect on obesity and metabolic syndrome;

 

“It is clear that β-glucan is an important food component in the modulation of metabolic dysregulations associated with the metabolic syndrome.”

 

Oats as prebiotics

The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics defines a prebiotic as: “A substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit.” 

 

In simple terms, they are foods for your gut microorganisms. 

 

The human gut microbiome contains more than ten trillion microorganisms with more than 1000 species of known bacteria. 

 

Prebiotics are identified based on the composition of their fiber content. For example, chicory root (65%), Jerusalem artichoke (32%), Oats (60%), and raw garlic (17%).

 

In a randomized controlled trial comparing the prebiotic effect of oats versus rice on blood lipids, gut microbiome, and short-chain fatty acids in subjects with mild hypercholesterolemia, it was concluded that oats can modulate gut microbiota and showed a preliminary relationship to lowering cholesterol.

 

It is misleading to state that beta-glucan as individual entities are the determining factor in the effectiveness regarding the nourishing benefits of oats.

 

Beta-glucans are most effective when they work with all other constituents found in oats. If one or more are missing, it can change how effectively the end product works. The above study also stated, “The current study focused on oat Beta-Glucan; However, the effect of polyphenols on gut microbiota and health benefits cannot be ignored.”

 

Cacao: The food of the gods

This product contains 100% pure cacao powder, giving it a chocolatey, rich, creamy, delicious texture and taste.

 

While each serving of this delightful product only has a small amount of cacao, you can believe that a little bit goes a long way.  

 

Seen as one of the most incredible foods on earth, revered by shamans and ethnobotanists, and used for currency by the Mayans and Aztecs, pure cacao is one of nature’s most wondrous creations.

 

Rich in the flavanols epicatechin and catechin, with procyanidins providing the majority of antioxidant activity. Cacao also contains a treasure trove of essential minerals like Calcium, Magnesium, and potassium. 

 

Depending on the quality of your cacao and which food analysis you are looking at, one tablespoon of cacao (approximately 5 grams) yields 15 milligrams of Calcium, 43 milligrams of Magnesium, and 120 milligrams of Potassium. Some ethnobotanists believe that cacao may be the most nutritious food you can put into your body.

 

Z Natural Foods hand-picks specific ingredients for our customers based on three concepts to provide the best quality product to support optimal well-being.

• Versatility
• History of safe and effective usage
• Strong evidence of positive research outcomes in humans

 

Summary of important information

Basic oat information

• All oats begin in complete form with the husk (the tough outer covering protecting each grain) intact. Once the husk is removed, you now have what is known as the groat, which is processed to create various oats that differ in texture, taste, and cooking time.

• Steel-cut oats (also known as Irish oatmeal) are most closely related to the original groat. They are produced by chopping the groats into pieces with steel blades, creating a coarse, chewy texture and nutty flavor. This form of oats takes the longest preparation time (15-30 minutes).

• Rolled oats (old-fashioned oats) are created when the groat goes through a steaming process, then flattened by heavy rollers. Rolled oats have a milder flavor and softer texture (because the steaming process has partially cooked them) and a shorter cooking time (4-5 minutes) than steel-cut oats.

• Quick oats are essentially oats that have been rolled, go through a steaming (partial cooking)process, and then rolled again. The purpose is a faster cooking time (1-2 minutes), creating a soft, mushy texture.

 

The oat desliming process

• When you soak oats in hot water, they swell and gelatinize due to how the starch reacts to the heat.
• The starch in oats comprises two kinds of sugar; Amylose (Is hydrosoluble and starts to break water down) and Amylopectin (Absorbs water and can swell up to ten times its size).
• Once free, amylose begins bonding with other molecules, resulting in this gel-like consistency.
• The primary enzyme used in the “desliming” process is amylase, commonly found in bananas, mangos, and papayas.
• Amylase is an enzyme specific for breaking down starches.
• In oats, it will turn the long sugar chain amylose and amylopectin structure into smaller chains of glucose, preventing the typical gelatinous-like result.
• Once these sugars break down, they will give your oat milk a naturally sweet taste.

 

Polysaccharides and Beta Glucans

• Polysaccharides are large carbohydrate molecules containing many small sugar molecules (monosaccharides) bonded together and are the most abundant carbohydrate found in food.
• Polysaccharides comprise more than ten monosaccharide units linked together and form when monosaccharides and disaccharides link together (resulting from dehydration). The sugars participating in this bond are called residues.
• Oats are deemed a quality source of non-starch polysaccharides, which make up around 60% of their total soluble fiber.
• Beta Glucans are a type of polysaccharide and soluble fiber from the cell walls of plants, fungi, and grains.
• The primary component of the non-starch polysaccharides in oats is beta-glucans 1-3 and 1-4 (A total of 4% beta-glucans).
• Studies show that these non-starch polysaccharides found in oats potentially support a wide range of factors related to metabolic syndrome.

 

Oats as prebiotics

• The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and prebiotics defines a prebiotic as “A substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit.”
• In simple terms, they are foods for your gut microorganisms.
• The human gut microbiome contains more than ten trillion microorganisms with more than 1000 species of known bacteria.
• Prebiotics are identified based on the composition of their fiber content. For example, chicory root (65%), Jerusalem artichoke (32%), Oats (60%), and raw garlic (17%).