Vida Skrabanja

Characteristics of spelt wheat products and nutritional value of spelt wheat-based bread.

Spelt wheat cultivars (cv.) Hercule, Rouquin and Ostro, grown in the Alpine region of Italy, were compared to the common wheat cv. Manital and durum wheat Grazia for protein, ash and dietary fibre contents. The spelt wheat cultivars studied had higher contents of soluble dietary fibre and protein than the standard wheat or the durum wheat. In the bread of spelt wheat (cv. Hercule), there was more rapidly digested starch (RDS) and a higher starch digestion index (SDI) in comparison to wheat bread. The bread made of whole spelt wheat flour (cv. Hercule) had less total starch, more resistant starch and less rapidly digested proteins in comparison to bread made of white spelt wheat flour and white wheat flour (cv. Manital). In pasta and extruded products of whole spelt flours, more protein, ash and dietary fibre was found in comparison to the same products made of white spelt wheat flour.

Nutrient Content in Buckwheat Milling Fractions

ABSTRACT Buckwheat seeds (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) were milled into 23 fractions: seven fine flours, three coarse flours, four small semolina, two big semolina, six bran, and one husk fraction. A considerable variation in gross chemical composition was found among the milling fractions. The protein content varied from 4.4 to 11.9% (db) in flours and from 19.2 to 31.3% in bran fractions; starch varied from 91.7 to 70.4% in flours and from 42.6 to 20.3 in bran. The percentage of soluble dietary fiber contained in total dietary fiber was higher in flours than in semolina and bran fractions. Ash, Fe, P, tannin, phytate content, and color were also investigated. A unique distribution of phytate was found in starch. Correlation is significantly positive in husk, bran, and semolina fractions, while correlation is significantly negative in flour fractions. Depending on technological or nutritional demands, appropriate fractions may be chosen to achieve the desired end-use product.

Protein-polyphenol interactions and in vivo digestibility of buckwheat groat proteins

Abstract A rat model system, based on a diet with (Nb+) or without (Nb−) the inclusion of 0.7% of a 2:1 (w/w) mixture of Bacitracin and Neomycin sulfate (Nebacitin) was used to elucidate interactions of polyphenols with proteins in buckwheat. The treatment with the antibiotic Nebacitin suppresses the microflora in the large intestine and is used to obtain an estimate of the digestion occurring in the small intestine. Experimental buckwheat samples were obtained in order to contain different levels of polyphenol and were subjected to different hydrothermal treatments. It was found that a considerable interaction between polyphenols and proteins appeared during the hydrothermal treatment, and this interaction reduces the digestion of proteins through the small and large intestine. Microbial processes in the colon enhance the digestibility of protein, blocked by polyphenols in hydrothermally processed buckwheat.

Screening of Common Buckwheat Genetic Resources for Recessive Genes

Abstract In screening buckwheat genetic resources for valuable recessive genes it is important to consider that recessive genes could be hidden in the population as a part of the heterozygotes. Three case studies are reported about screening for recessive genes in common buckwheat populations. One method is to self-fertilize the plants. They—at least in the domestic population of Siva dolenjska buckwheat from Slovenia—gave, after selfing, a few progeny plants. Sublethal and other deleterious properties were expressed in all plants of the next generation after selfing. Another method is to screen pollen grains for recessive genes, which are detectable in the haploide phase. Only a few characters expressed in pollen grains (for example amylose/amylopectin ratio) could be scored in this way. Very promising was the method applied in the screening of a domestic Slovenian population for buckwheat plants with the determinate growth habit.

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 ...

V svetu in v Sloveniji uporabljamo za hrano predvsem dve vrsti ajde, navadno ajdo (Fagopyrum esculentum) in tatarsko ajdo (Fagopyrum tataricum). Zanimanje za ajdo se je povecalo zaradi njene prehranske vrednosti. Za razliko od žit, pri katerih primanjkuje lizina, so beljakovine ajde zelo kakovostne, s primerno aminokislinsko sestavo glede na potrebe ljudi. Poleg kakovostnih beljakovin je pomembna vsebnost flavonoidov (rutina in kvercetina), vsebnost mineralnih elementov, prehranskih vlaknin, pa tudi zmožnost uspevanja v mejnih obmocjih kmetijske pridelave. Eden od razlogov za priljubljenost pridelovanja ajde je odpornost ajde proti patogenom in boleznim ter uspesno tekmovanje z rastjo plevelov. Torej je ajda primerna za ekolosko pridelovanje. Ajdovo zrnje nima glutena, zato je varno za ljudi s celiakijo, ki lahko uživajo le brezglutensko hrano. Uporaba zrnja in moke tatarske ajde v prehrani se v novejsem casu povecuje zaradi visoke vsebnosti rutina v primerjavi z navadno ajdo. Tatarsko ajdo so vsaj 200 let že pridelovali v Sloveniji, se je pa pridelovanje prenehalo v drugi polovici 20. stoletja. V nekaterih predelih Bosne in Hercegovine ter v mejnem obmocju Islek (severni Luksemburg, Westeifel v Nemciji in obmejno obmocje Belgije) so bila se nedavno edina obmocja v Evropi s pridelavo tatarske ajde za prehrano ljudi. V zadnjih desetih letih se pridelovanje tatarske ajde vraca tudi v Slovenijo. Ajda je pomembna rastlina v prehrani in pri prehranskih navadah v Sloveniji in prav tako v drugih državah srednje Evrope in Azije. V clanku je podan pregled podatkov v znanstvenih objavah, ki so pomembna izhodisca za raziskave vsebnosti flavonoidov, taninov in beljakovin v zrnju navadne in tatarske ajde. Kljucne besede: ajda, proteini, flavonoidi, zdravje, vrednotenje Two species of buckwheat are mainly used around the world and in Slovenia: common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) and Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum). The renewed interest in buckwheat is based on its nutritional value. Unlike cereals, which are deficient in lysine, buckwheat has excellent protein quality due to a balanced essential amino acid composition. Emphasised are the high protein quality, the concentration of flavonoids (rutin and quercetin), mineral elements and dietary fibre, and the ability to grow in marginal areas. One of the reasons for its popularity is the relative resistance of buckwheat to pest and diseases, and the ability to repress weeds. Buckwheat is thus suitable for ecological cultivation. It does not contain gluten proteins, so it is safe for people who require gluten-free diet (coeliac disease). Tartary buckwheat grain and flour are recently increasingly used in preparing dishes due to its even much higher content of rutin in comparison with common buckwheat. Tartary buckwheat has been cultivated to some extent in Slovenia for centuries, but this ceased before the end of the 20 th century. Some parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the cross-border region Islek - which includes northern Luxemburg, the Westeifel, (Germany) and the border area of the of Belgium - was, not so long ago, the only places in Europe where Tartary buckwheat was still grown for humans. In the last 10 years, Tartary buckwheat has been returning to Slovenian fields. Buckwheat is an important plant and a dish in the cuisine and dietary habits of Slovenians and many other nations, including those of Central Europe and Asia. In the paper, based on the published scientific data, relevant starting points for the study and improvement of content of flavonoids, tannins and crude proteins in grain of common and Tartary buckwheat are presented. Key words: buckwheat, proteins, flavonoids, health, evaluation