Abstract
Fatty acids, minerals and vitamines of the nutritive components were determined in the four buckwheat flour fractions (SF fraction: the first milled product, yield 16%; 1F fraction: the second product, yield 40%; 2F fraction: the third product, yield 40%; 3F fraction: the last product, yield 3%) obtained by milling the buckwheat kernel.
The fatty acid composition was determined in each fraction by gas chromatography and at least eight fatty acids were identified. Palmitic (18.3 to 22.9%), oleic (29.1 to 31.6%) and linoleic (19.1 to 34.8%) acids were predominant in each fraction, and linolenic (4.7 to 6.8%), stearic (2.1 to 3.3%) and palmitoleic (0.6 to 2.3%) acids were also contained in all of the fractions. Eighty to ninety percent of the total acids consisted of the acids of 16 and 18 carbons. The fatty acid composition of the 2F fraction was the most characteristic in the four fractions on the most contents of fatty acids of 16, 20 or more and 15 or less carbons.
The four buckwheat flour fractions were also analyzed for the following seven metals: Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, and Na. Of these metals K and Mg were the major components in each fraction, being localized in the 2F and 3F fractions as well as Fe.
Analyses of thiamine and riboflavin in each fraction of the buckwheat flour indicated that the content of both vitamines were highest in the 2F fraction.
