Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) seeds were irradiated with microwaves at various power levels of 200, 400, 600 and 800 W for 10 or 30 s. The irradiated grains were germinated for 3, 5, and 7 days and harvested. The germination rate of the tartary buckwheat seeds and contents of some compounds in the sprouts were investigated. The results showed that the exposure to 600 W microwaves for 10 s resulted in the highest fi nal germination rate after 7 days of germination, which was 2 times that of the control. The exposure of seeds to 800 W for 30 s showed the lowest germination rate (approximately 10%), which decreased by 87% compared with the control (p<0.05). The exposure at 600 W for 30 s stimulated the total flavones content, reduced the sugar and soluble protein contents, and increased the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. The highest free amino acid content (11 mg/g) was observed in 5-day sprouts exposed to 800 W for 10 s. Moreover, the microwave treatment had a positive effect on the catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity.
Tartary buckwheat seed and especially its sprouts are rich in D-chiroinositol (DCI). The research was to evaluate when DCI was most accumulated in tartary buckwheat sprouts. In addition, we explored the activity and expression pattern of α-galactosidase during tartary buckwheat seed germination. The results showed that DCI contents steadily increased at early stage of germination and reached the highest level of 33.42 μg/seed at 24 h during the 72 h trail. However, the total fagopyritol contents sharply decreased from 214.6 μg/seed to 46 μg/seed at the end of the germination. The activity of acid α-galactosidase increased gradually to the peak of 0.36 nkat/seed at 24 h after the primed seed imbibition. We cloned the gene fragment of α-galactosidase in tartary buckwheat for the first time. The deduced amino acid sequence is 93% identical to that of P. vulgaris. The quantitative PCR result of gene expression pattern was consistent with its enzyme activity during seed germination.