Result of oat cleaning from impurities
with color sorter

The oat (Avena sativa), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name. Oats have numerous uses in foods; most commonly, they are rolled or crushed into oatmeal, or ground into fine oat flour.

Oatmeal is chiefly eaten as porridge, but may also be used in a variety of baked goods, such as oatcakes, oatmeal cookies, and oat bread. Oats are also an ingredient in many cold cereals, in particular muesli and granola. Oats are also used for production of milk substitutes.

Contaminants: mineral impuritites (soil, ore particles, slag), wild oats, wheat, rye, barley, Tatary buckwheat, green oats, stems, spoiled oats, moldy oats, grains affected by smut and spurred rye.
Oats are also commonly used as feed for horses when extra carbohydrates and the subsequent boost in energy are required. They may be given alone or as part of a blended food pellet. Cattle are also fed oats, either whole or ground into a coarse flour using a roller mill, burr mill, or hammermill. Oat forage is commonly used to feed all kinds of ruminants, as pasture, straw, hay, or silage.