Consumers' desire for the health benefits of oats will see a push to develop a range of novel oat-based products, ranging from oat 'rice' to noodles and pasta as researchers work to refashion oats as more than just a breakfast food or source of alternative milk.

The University of Queensland (UQ)'s Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) has invested $5.6 million into a project working with MyPlantCo and its Real Oats brand, which involves looking to commercialise the new products.

Heather Smyth, a flavour chemist at UQ's Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) said with the health benefits of oats, which assisting in lowering cholesterol and helping gut health, well known among consumers the race was on to develop suitable food products.

"Using our sensory testing panels, we'll help develop oat products that are both highly nutritious and genuinely enjoyable new ways for consumers to experience oats at every meal," Professor Smyth said.

To uncover what consumers are looking for in terms of palatability FaBA's Innovation Pathways Program will undertake market research using more than 25 databases to provide valuable commercial insights.

From there, FaBA Premium Food and Beverage Program and UQ QAAFI researcher Jiahua Shi will oversee technical development, focusing on taste, texture, shelf life and nutritional integrity.

"Our goal is to create oat-based products that are high in protein and fibre, naturally healthy, and premium in quality."

She said there would be some food science challenges in terms of functions such as stabilising formulations without artificial additives, replicating familiar textures such as rice or wheat-based noodles and pasta and ensuring long shelf life.

The company said oat rice contains 30 per cent fewer carbohydrates, 10 times more fibre and 60pc more protein than white rice while its supply chain is more sustainable and local, with a lower carbon footprint than many other grains.

My PlantCo chief executive Mei Yong said she hoped to build on the innovations and intellectual property created with the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) in its work on novel oat products.

"It was important for us to bridge east and west by bringing together talent from across Australia to create globally relevant products, and we are thrilled to be able to collaborate on Australian soil," Ms Yong said.

"We see Australia as the Silicon Valley of oats - we grow some of the best-quality oats in the world and we're sitting on a massive opportunity to lead in value-added innovation."