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Buckwheat, a pseudo cereal, is a potent super-food crop known as a life support system in higher Himalayas. During field survey, it was reported by local people that long time consumption of buckwheat leaves and grains leads to digestive problems and numbness. Twelve buckwheat genotypes were collected from different regions of Himalayas and changes in phytoconstituents due to roasting of grains at 80 ℃ for 5 min., were analysed spectrophotometrically, to make it suitable for human consumption on daily basis. Roasting slightly decreased protein (2.98–18.52%), lysine (3.82–7.76%), arginine (1.61–6.03%), tryptophan (2.40–7.73%), phenols (6.18–14.17%), flavonoids (6.01–18.27%), antioxidants(3.38–9.23%), rutin (1.69–7.51%), whereas, anti-nutrients viz. phytic acid, tannin and oxalate were decreased significantly (p < 0.05) i.e. (17.50–44.15%), (2.27–6.25%) and (9.52–25.00%) respectively. Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of raw grain samples of buckwheat cultivars revealed distinct protein bands with molecular wt. ranging from 115.77 to 19.06 kDa. Allergenic protein of 100 kDa, 50 kDa and 24 kDa were found in the buckwheat grains of Indian Himalayan region. Sharp decrease of protein solubility and content of allergenic proteins was noticed in the buckwheat grains by raising the temperature beyond 60 °C. It may be concluded from the study that roasting make buckwheat grains more suitable from nutritional point of view and may be used for daily consumption, but reduction of nutrient loss by roasting and removal/reduction of 24-kDa allergenic protein is the thrust area for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buckwheat is a widely consumed pseudo-cereal, has gained significant attention recently due to its high nutritional value, adaptability to various climates, and least cost of cultivation. During a field survey, it was reported by local communities, that prolonged consumption of buckwheat leaves and grains causes digestive problems and numbness in the fingers, it is due to toxic components and allergens present in buckwheat. In the present study, effects of different durations of microwave radiation on phytoconstituents of five buckwheat cultivars of Himalaya were studied, with special emphasis on anti-nutrients and allergenic proteins, to make it suitable for daily human consumption. Total phenols, total flavonoid, total antioxidant, protein, lysine, arginine, tryptophan, tannin, oxalate and phytic acid were estimated using standard spectrophotometric methods, and protein profiling for allergenic proteins was done by SDS-PAGE. It was found that increase in the duration of microwave treatment led to decrease in the total phenolics (8.3–12.1%), total flavonoids (9.0–11.5%), total antioxidants (5.0–7.1%), protein (3.5–7.9%), tryptophan (4.1–6.4%), arginine (3.2–7.1%) and lysine (4.2–8.6%) content, whereas, a significant (p ≤ 0.05) reduction was found in anti-nutritional factors viz. phytic acid (23.0–53.1%), tannins (15.6–21.1%) and oxalate (13.8–25.3%). SDS-PAGE profiling revealed that, duration of microwave radiation is directly proportional to the reduction in the major allergenic proteins (30, 19 and 16-kDa) of buckwheat grains. Thus, it may be concluded from the current study that microwave treatment can be used as an effective strategy to improve the nutritional value by reducing the anti-nutrients and major allergens of raw buckwheat grains, and thus make them more amenable for daily consumption and for preparation of different by-products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]