April 15/Kitakyushu, Japan/News of Science -- "Buckwheat flour, which is used for various dishes in the world, is a good source of proanthocyanidins. Proanthocyanidins in the buckwheat flour reduced nitrous acid producing nitric oxide (NO) when the flour was suspended in acidified saliva or in acidic buffer solution in the presence of nitrite," investigators in Kitakyushu, Japan, report.

"The ingestion of dough prepared from buckwheat flour increased the concentration of NO in the air expelled from the stomach, suggesting that the proanthocyanidins also reduced nitrite to NO in the stomach. During the production of NO by the buckwheat flour/nitrous acid systems, oxidation, nitration, and nitrosation of proanthocyanidins proceeded," wrote U. Takahama and colleagues, Kyushu Dental College, Dental College.

The researchers concluded, "The increase in the concentration of NO could improve the activity of stomach helping the digestion of ingested foods and the nitration and nitrosation of the proanthocyanidins could contribute to the scavenging of reactive nitrogen oxide species generated from NO and nitrous acid."

Takahama and colleagues published their study in Plant Foods for Human Nutrition ("Proanthocyanidins in Buckwheat Flour Can Reduce Salivary Nitrite to Nitric Oxide in the Stomach." Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 2010;65(1):1-7).

For additional information, contact U. Takahama, Kyushu Dental College, Dept. of Biosci, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 8038580, Japan.

From the April 26, 2010, Prepared Foods E-dition