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

Molecules 2012, 17, 9668-9682; doi:10.3390/moleculeOPEN ACCESS molecules ISSN 1420-3049 /journal/molecules Article Evaluation of Flavonoid Contents and Antioxidant Capacity of the Aerial Parts of Common and Tartary Buckwheat Plants Danuta Zielińska 1,*, Marcin Turemko 1, Jacek Kwiatkowski 2 and Henryk Zieliński 3 1 Department of Chemistry, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Plac ?ódzki 4, Olsztyn 10-727, Poland 2 Department of Plant Breeding and Seed Production, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Plac ?ódzki 3, Olsztyn 10-724, Poland 3 Division of Food Science, Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of Polish Academy of Sciences, Tuwima 10, P.O. Box 55, Olsztyn 10-747, Poland * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: dziel@.pl; Tel.: +48-89-523-3935; Fax: +48-89-523-4801. Received: 29 May 2012; in revised form: 1 August 2012 / Accepted: 3 August 2012 / Published: 13 August 2012 Abstract: The analysis of major and minor flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity of stems, leaves, flowers, unripe seeds and ripe seeds of 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 at different growth periods while flavone C-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 cap