Characterization of Active Ingredient in Buckwheat

Buckwheat contains an active ingredient that lowers blood glucose in diabetic rats. The active ingredient is not a known compound such as chiro-inositol or rutin. The goal of this project is to fractionate buckwheat by a technique known as countercurrent chromatography (CCC) and determine the presence of a biological activity. This is important for setting the foundation to 1) monitor the levels of the active ingredient in buckwheat (as affected by variety, growing conditions and season), 2) determine how levels of active ingredient are affected by processing, 3) standardize the amount of active ingredient in functional food products and thus meet Health Canada requirements, and 4) provide a screening tool for further enhancement of buckwheat varieties by plant breeding.

Faculty Supervisor:

Harold Aukema

Student:

Shokoufeh Ahmadi

Partner:

Prairie Skyline Ventures Ltd

Discipline:

Chemistry

Sector:

Forestry

University:

Program: