OAT OIL REFINING AND APPLICATIONS

ALTHOUGH INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS DERIVED FROM OATS (AVENA SATIVA) HAVE BEEN FOUND TO POSSESS NOVEL PROPERTIES, THESE HAVE NOT BEEN EXPLOITED COMMERCIALLY TO ANY GREAT EXTENT, THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE BEING A LACK OF MARKETS FOR BY-PRODUCTS. APPLICATIONS FOR PROTEINACEOUS FRACTIONS OF OATS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED BY BASIC BIO SYSTEMS, INC. AND IT IS NOW PROPOSED TO REFINE THE RESULTING OIL BY-PRODUCT AND DETERMINE ITS FEASIBILITY FOR USE IN SKIN CARE APPLICATIONS. OATS HAVE THE HIGHEST OIL CONTENT, AMONG THE CEREAL GRAINS. ALTHOUGH THE FATTY ACID PROFILE FOR OATS IS SIMILAR TO OTHER CEREALS, OAT OIL HAS A UNIQUELY HIGH CONCENTRATION AND DIVERSITY OF NATURAL ANTIOXIDANTS. ANTIOXIDANTS ARE FREQUENTLY OF BENEFIT IN TOPICAL SKIN THERAPY BECAUSE OF REDUCED PEROXIDATIVE DEGRADATION OF SKIN LIPIDS, REDUCED TRANSEPIDERMAL WATER LOSS, AND/OR ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY. ACCORDINGLY, THE PROPOSED STUDY WILL INVESTIGATE THE ISOLATION AND REFINING PROCESSES NECESSARY TO OBTAIN AN OIL WITH MAXIMUM ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY VIA THE SOLVENT EXTRACTION OF OATS. ALSO, OAT SOUP WILL BE PREPARED BY SAPONIFICATION. THE PHARMACOLOGIC EFFECTS OF BOTH THE OIL AND SOAP WILL BE EVALUATED IN VITRO AND IN VIVO. MINIMUM INHIBITORY CONCENTRATIONS WILL BE DETERMINED AGAINST COMMON PATHOGENS TO EVALUATE ANTIFUNGAL AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY.