Phenolic compounds in different organs of tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn.) cultivars

Tartary buckwheat contains variety of secondary metabolites. The present study investigates the variation of phenolic compounds among tartary buckwheat cultivars of different geographical origin. On analyzing the different parts of tartary buckwheat at flowering stage under green house condition, 9 different phenolic compounds, viz. rutin, 4-hydroxy benzoic acid, epicatechin, chlorogenic acid, catechin, p-coumaric acid, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy benzoic acid, quercetin, and kaemferol were identified. The levels of these phenolic compounds among the cultivars varied significantly. The amount of phenolic compounds in the flower was much higher than that in the leaf, stem, and root of tartary buckwheat, irrespective of cultivars. The Chinese cultivar C 2097 had the highest quercetin contents in both leaf and stems displaying 13- and 877-fold higher than the lowest quercetin producing cultivar N7608 from Nepal, respectively. Both highest (C 8920) and lowest (C 05) rutin contents in flowers obtained in the Chinese cultivars and the difference between them was 3-fold. Rutin content of the flower was 6.3- and 29.3-fold higher than that in the leaf and stem, respectively. Our results by HPLC analyses indicate that phenolic compounds in tartary buckwheat significantly varied among cultivars from different origins and the highest amount of phenolic compounds contained in the floral organs.