Molecules (Aug 2012)

Evaluation of Flavonoid Contents and Antioxidant Capacity of the Aerial Parts of Common and Tartary Buckwheat Plants

  • Henryk Zieliński,
  • Jacek Kwiatkowski,
  • Marcin Turemko,
  • Danuta Zielińska

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules17089668
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 8
pp. 9668 – 9682

Abstract

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The analysis of major and minor flavonoids, <em>and </em>antioxidant capacity <em>of </em>stems, leaves, flowers, unripe seeds and ripe seeds<em> of </em>common and tartary buckwheat plants collected during different growth periods was addressed in this study. The highest rutin contents were observed in flowers and leaves collected from common and tartary buckwheat at early flowering as well as flowering and seed formation states. A low quercetin contents were found in all studied aerial part of buckwheat plants. Quercitrin (quercetin-3-rhamnoside) was only found in flowers collected <em>at different growth periods</em> while flavone <em>C</em>-glucosides were accumulated preferentially only in unripe seeds collected from common buckwheat at an early flowering state. The rank of antioxidant capacity provided for aerial parts of common and tartary buckwheat at early flowering state was as follows: flowers > leaves > stems. The highest contribution of rutin to the antioxidant capacity of the aerial parts of common and tartary buckwheat was found for stems followed by leaves, flowers and unripe seeds. The results demonstrate that flowers from common and tartary buckwheat collected at early flowering as well as flowering and seed formation states have the future potential to be a useful food ingredient.

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