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

Abstract

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.

Comprehensive Characterization of Micronized Wholemeal Flours: Investigating Technological Properties across Various Grains

“…The lowest content of ash was found in T530, which corresponds to this type of wheat flour, and the lowest amount of TDF was obtained for MBWF. The amount of fiber in buckwheat flour varies depends on the grain processing method, and without resistant starch, it is most often in the range of 3 to 6% [ 21 ]. Furthermore, Niu et al [ 22 ] discovered that examining the impact of superfine grinding on the quality attributes of whole-wheat flour revealed significant alterations.…”

“…MBWF had the highest Falling Number and maximum viscosity (AU). There is a concept indicating that the resistance to degradation in buckwheat starch granules is likely attributed to their structural differences compared to wheat starch granules, and buckwheat may contain one or more compounds, potentially protein or more enduring substances like tannins and phytic acid, that inhibit α-amylase [ 21 , 29 ]. The results of the present study showed a lower Falling Number for MWF than in the study by Kang et al [ 17 ], suggesting that MWF had higher α-amylase activity than wheat flours produced using a hammer and jet mill.…”

Digestibility of starch

“…Whole tissue structures originating from whole kernels or wholemeal flour in bread can decrease enzymatic hydrolysis due to limited accessibility [19]. Interest in pseudocereals has grown because they contain proteins with better amino acid scores than cereals and a significant proportion of resistant starch, thus having a lower glycemic index; and some other biologically active substances [20]. Great differences in GI have been observed between different legume products.…”

“…In uncooked buckwheat, resistant starch represents approximately one-third of the total starch content. After cooking, the proportion of resistant starch is about 7-10% in heat-treated buckwheat products [20]. Resistant starch derived from buckwheat has been shown to lower cholesterol concentrations, alleviate obesity, and reduce serum lipopolysaccharide, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin 6 concentrations, which are attributed to an increase in the abundance of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Enterococcus [1].…”