Grain Millers (Eugene, Ore.), one of the largest oat milling companies in North America, has developed a line of products that are both all-natural and provide the excellent functionality and health benefits of oats and fibers. Unlike other oat fibers on the market, the company claims its oat fiber is truly natural. Other leading oat fiber brands use chemical treatments to refine the oats. This involves bleaching cellulose and hemicelluloses that are present in oat hulls with hydrogen peroxide, and then neutralizing the oat fiber with sulfuric acid. Additionally, most of the oat hull's naturally occurring nutrients are lost during processing.
Not only has the oat fiber eliminated the “sand-like” sensation of many fiber products, but the naturally occurring lipids have been stabilized by inactivating lipid-degrading enzymes. Due to this natural process, the oat fiber is the only one on the market that is available as organically certified, says the supplier.