ABSTRACT
The purpose of this inter-laboratory study was to test the repeatability and reproducibility of an in vitro method aimed at analyzing the physicochemical properties under physiological conditions of ß-glucans from foods. After evaluating ß-glucans molar mass and quantification methods using five ß-glucan controls, four laboratories ran six oat-based products through in vitro digestion, measured ß-glucans solubility and viscosity and molar mass of solubilized ß-glucans. The determination of the molar mass of ß-glucan controls, their viscosity in solution and ß-glucans content in food samples exhibited relative standard reproducibility of 20.9-40.9%, 10.2-40.9% and 2.3-14.8%, respectively. After in vitro digestion, relative standard reproducibility ranged 12.1-60.0%, 12.2-64.3% and 9.7-36.3% for molar mass of extracted ß-glucans, their viscosity and their solubility, respectively. Although the characterization methods were satisfactory within the limits of current technology, the in vitro extraction contributed significantly to the uncertainty of final characterization.
