Global nutritional challenges and opportunities: Buckwheat, a potential bridge between nutrient deficiency and food security

Abstract

Background: The ability to ensure nutritional and food security is seriously threatened by the ever-growing global population. Overreliance on a few staple food crops such as wheat, rice and maize will no longer be able to satisfy the rising demand for future food. Even with increasing agricultural production, over 820 million people are still facing food insecurity and at least 2 billion are facing nutrition insecurity. Therefore, it is imperative to focus on finding simple and sustainable solution to the present threat of global food insecurity. Besides staple food crops, harnessing nutrient-dense, climate-resilient, and locally available crops for production, marketing and consumption as “Smart Foods” for the future is needed. Buckwheat is a potential smart food because of its stress resistance and nutritional properties as well as strong antioxidant activity due to presence of flavonoids. Scope and approach: This paper comprises a comprehensive review of the scientific literature on the valorization of buckwheat crops in terms of germplasm resources, breeding and genetic improvements for yield, bioactive compounds, biological activities and its potential application in food and pharmaceutical industries. Key findings and conclusions: Identification of elite cultivars and exploitation of buckwheat derived gluten-free bakery and non-bakery food stuffs and beverages such as tea, beer and wine should be explored for human consumption. Abundance of bioactive compounds results in high anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-glycemic, anti-cancer properties and other health-promoting activities highlighting buckwheat's potential application as nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals.