Buckwheat Flour (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench)-A Contemporary View on the Problems of Its Production for Human Nutrition

Buckwheat is returning to the countries of Central Europe; there are several reasons for this: firstly, due to its interesting chemical composition (proteins, fibre, and phenolic compounds), which is reflected in its nutritional value and potential health benefits. Secondly, because buckwheat, and buckwheat flour especially, are suitable raw materials for the production of gluten-free foods. Buckwheat flours are classified similarly to wheat flours, but the different anatomy of wheat grains and buckwheat seeds makes this classification partly misleading. While wheat flours are largely produced by one standard process, the production process for buckwheat flours is more varied. For wheat and wheat flours, the basic quality parameters and their required ranges for different types of primary and secondary processing are clearly defined. This is not the case for buckwheat and buckwheat flours, and the definition of the parameters and their ranges that characterize its technological quality remain unclear. The standardization of quality parameters and production processes is likely to be necessary for the potential expansion of the use of buckwheat for food production and, in particular, for bakery products.

Identification of tartary buckwheat tea aroma compounds with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Tartary buckwheat tea, which is an important and healthy product, has a distinct malty aroma. However, its characteristic aroma compounds have not been elucidated. The aims of present study were identification and quantification of its aroma compounds. The analyses were performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) after 3 different isolation techniques. Seventy-seven compounds were identified. Among these compounds, 35 were quantified by available standards. The compounds with a high probability of contribution to the tartary buckwheat tea aroma (OAV ≥ 10) were as follows: 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone, nonanal, 2,3-diethyl-5-methylpyrazine, benzeneacetaldehyde, maltol, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-5-methylpyrazine, trimethylpyrazine. Some nutritional and bioactive compounds were also identified in this study, such as linoleic acid, niacin, vanillic acid, 7-hydroxycoumarin, butylated hydroxytoluene. Practical Application: Tartary buckwheat, one type of buckwheat, has gained much attention from nutritionists and medical doctors in recent years. It is rich in rutin, quercetin, and other nutrients that are good for health. Tartary buckwheat-based product such as tartary buckwheat tea is an important and popular healthy product in China, Japan,South Korea, European countries as well as in American countries. It has a distinct malty aroma. The present study first identified and quantified of its aroma compounds. The results will draw attention to other researchers in food flavor and buckwheat filed.

Salicylaldehyde is a characteristic aroma component of buckwheat groats

Salicylaldehyde (2-hydroxybenzaldehyde) was identified as a characteristic component of buckwheat groats aroma by a sensory analysis guided fractionation of the extract. The extract with the strongest odour was prepared by petroleum ether extraction of water soaked groats. This extract was further extracted with sodium hydrogen carbonate solution and purified by a preparative layer chromatography and identified by NMR, MS and IR spectroscopy. A capillary electrophoresis method was developed and used to determine salicylaldehyde content in buckwheat groats and flour samples. Traditionally dehulled buckwheat grain, which had the strongest odour, contained the highest concentration (1.6ppm) of salicylaldehyde with an odour activity value (OAV) of 216.