Buckwheat: Composition and Potential Usages in Foods

Abstract

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench and Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn) contains high amounts of protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, essential polyunsaturated fatty acids and also a good source of important antioxidants such as rutin and phenolic compounds. In addition to its high protein bioavailability, buckwheat is also an important nutritional alternative to celiac patients due to gluten-free structure. Buckwheat has been utilized as a food raw material in production of various local food products. With the renewed interest due to its nutritive and health promoting value, it has been used with an increasing popularity as an important ingredient in diets and many new food products and also has significant potential for the functional food industry. In this study, chemical composition of buckwheat and literature on the present uses of buckwheat in foodstuffs are described.