Studies on Functional Properties of Buckwheat before and after Hydrothermal Processing.

Parboiling of buckwheat was carried out for different time durations. Hydration studies
revealed that, with increase in time, moisture uptake increased. Proximate composition
revealed that, with increase in parboiling time, protein, as and fat content increased. A
study of functional properties indicated that, solubility and swelling power were increased in
the parboiled samples at different temperatures (30- 9°C). Total amylose content decreased
marginally and soluble amylose content decreased drastically with parboiling. Scanning
electron microscopy studies revealed that the orderly structure of the starch granule changed
during parboiling. Clear large crystals were seen in the case of raw buckwheat whereas
amorphous structure was observed for parboiled samples. Colour measurement of the raw
and hydrothermally treated buckwheat sample was done by the CIE Hunter L*, a*, b*
system. Results indicated that, parboiled samples were less bright compared to the control.