Lovro Sinkovič Crop Science Department, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Vladimir Meglič Crop Science Department, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Špela Velikonja-Bolta Central Laboratories, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Marijan Nečemer Department of Low and Medium Energy Physics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Rajko Vidrih Department of Food Science and Technology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

 

Abstract

Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) and tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaerth.) are underutilized pseudo-cereals and both considered nutritional food. Eight common and eleven tartary buckwheat accessions acquired from Slovenian plant gene bank were grown at the experimental fields of the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia in 2014. Dried grains were homogenised and analysed for several nutrient parameters: moisture content (11–14% dry weight, DW), total proteins (11–16 % DW), dietary fibre (15–19 % DW), ash (2–6 % DW) and total fats (1.8–2.6 % DW). The fatty acids (C14:0, C16:0, C18:0, C18:1n9, C18:2n6, C18:3n3, C20:0) were determined using gas chromatography, free amino acids (Gly, Glu, Arg, Lys, Asp, Ser, Phe, Ala, Val, Thr, Pro, Ile, Met, His, Cys, Leu, Tyr) by the high-performance liquid chromatography and multi-mineral analysis (K, P, Si, S, Ca, Fe, Cl, Ti, Zn) using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The results show significant differences between two buckwheat species, and their gene bank accessions for investigated nutritional parameters.