Buckwheat

Abstract

Buckwheat has major potential as food ingredient, especially for the functional food industry. Buckwheat, a pseudo‐cereal, contains protein of high nutritional value, dietary fiber, resistant starch, rutin, D‐chiro‐inositol, vitamins, and minerals. D‐Chiro‐inositol, fagopyritols (galactosyl derivatives of D‐chiro‐inositol), resistant starch, and buckwheat protein product exhibited positive health effects on rats, but more studies should be undertaken to establish effects on humans. Rutin and quercetin are the main antioxidants in buckwheat and have been mentioned in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency. The main nutritional value of buckwheat groats (dehulled seeds) is similar to that of cereals. Starch and fiber are present in similar amounts, and buckwheat also contains a high level of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids such as linoleic acid. Several vitamins (B1, C, and E) are present, whereas minerals are present in abundance. In comparison to cereals, buckwheat protein is of high nutritional quality due to its relatively high level of lysine. On the other hand, a low digestibility has been recorded, possibly due to tannins, phytic acid, and protease inhibitors. Some protease inhibitors can also cause allergic reactions in humans. Malting may enhance the nutritional and functional properties of buckwheat by increasing protein digestibility and the level of nutritional and functional components.

Izhodišča za raziskave učinkov flavonoidov, taninov in skupnih beljakovin v frakcijah zrn navadne ajde (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) in tatarske ajde (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn.) / Starting points for the study of the effects of flavonoids, tannins ...

“…2001). Zato se v sodobnem času velikokrat razmišlja o ajdovi moki kot naravnem dodatku, ki obogati sestavo osnovne moke (Wijngaard & Arendt 2006b). Če ajda raste v okolju, kjer je Se dostopen rastlinam, je lahko tudi pomemben vir tega elementa (Stibilj in sod.…”

Comparison of some physical and chemical characteristics of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) grains

“…Two main buckwheat species have been commonly produced and consumed: common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) and tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn). The high nutritional value of this important alternative crop is mainly due to its balanced amino acid composition (rich in lysine and arginine), the high biological quality of its protein, and its high content of minerals (P, Fe, Zn, K and Mg) and biologically active compounds (Wijngaard & Arendt, 2006). Furthermore, buckwheat can be safely consumed by people with coeliac disease because it contains no gluten (Bonafaccia, Marocchini, & Kreft, 2003;Christa & Soral-Smietana, 2008;Li & Zhang, 2001;Mazza & Oomah, 2005).…”

Characteristics of the grain-filling process and starch accumulation of high-yield common buckwheat ‘cv. Fengtian 1’ and tartary buckwheat ‘cv. Jingqiao 2’

“…is usually classified as a cereal as it has several similarities to other cereals. However, buckwheat has some distinct characteristics compared with conventional cereals (Mazza 1988;Wijngaard and Arendt 2006). Buckwheat contains high amounts of polyphenolic compounds, such as flavonoids -specifically Rutin, which provides many health benefits to humans such as neuroprotection, anticancer, anti-inflam-394…”