Tartary buckwheat is a grain packed with beneficial plant compounds called flavonoids, but the human body struggles to absorb and use them effectively. Researchers used two types of beneficial bacteria to ferment the buckwheat for 24 hours, which transformed the flavonoids into forms the body can actually utilize. This process increased the amount of free, usable flavonoids by more than 14 percent and created additional active compounds not present before. The fermented buckwheat also became remarkably effective at slowing down the enzymes responsible for breaking down starches during digestion, reducing their activity by roughly 46 to 54 percent. These findings suggest that bacterial fermentation could be a practical way to create buckwheat products that deliver more health benefits while keeping blood sugar levels steadier after eating.
(Source: Food Microbiol, via PubMed.)
Source: PubMed — read the full article
