Roskoshestvo examined 36 brands of buckwheat from well-known manufacturers represented in Russian retail. Both loose buckwheat and portioned sachets were selected for the study. The study was conducted on 464 quality and safety indicators.
Photo: Retail.ru
Buckwheat is the second cereal after rice that Russians choose, which is why it can confidently be called a “national product.” This study also tested the quality of bagged cereals (portions are pre-packaged in cooking bags).
Buckwheat of the brands “Uvelka”, Ozon fresh , “VkusVill”, “Magnit”, “Mistral”, “Makfa”, “Selyanochka”, Spar, “Market Perekrestok”, “Tsar”, “Samokat”, Arivera was recognized as the best – it meets not only the mandatory requirements, but also the advanced standard of Roskachestvo. The products of these particular brands can qualify for the Russian “Quality Mark”.
Research results
All cereals purchased for the study are safe. It does not contain Aflatoxin B1 and T-2 toxin (produced during the metabolism of mold fungi, usually develops in cereals and is very dangerous). Experts also did not find any pests (neither living, nor dead, nor their larvae). There are no pesticides in the cereal – only one product contained trace amounts of haloxyfop (technical regulations allow trace amounts of pesticides).
Heat treatment destroys bacteria and mold, which in theory could be in the cereal. However, some consumers do not cook buckwheat, but fill it with water and leave it overnight to retain more nutrients. Therefore, for reference, experts checked the cereal for microbiological indicators. The result is that the tested products do not contain coliform bacteria, salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, spore-forming soil bacteria B.cereus, yeast and mold.
There are no metallomagnetic and mineral impurities in buckwheat. There are also no weeds that may enter during harvesting. Seeds of other plants (weed impurity) were found in products of the “Right Choice” trademark, but the labeling indicates the no longer valid GOST R 55290–2012 (cancelled from April 2022), so the violation is regarded as non-compliance with the requirements of the advanced Roskachestvo standard.
Product quality was also assessed by the number of crushed kernels. If there is a lot of crushed grain in the package, then cooking the porridge will be problematic: the whole kernels will not be cooked, and the “crushed grain” will turn into jelly. Therefore, after peeling, the cereal is sorted many times, separating the normal kernel from the crushed one. In the cereal of the “Right Choice” brand, crushed kernels turned out to be 33.6%, and both the canceled and the current GOSTs allow no more than 3% “crushed” for the first grade. Accordingly, in this cereal this value is exceeded by more than 10 times!
Non-critical violations were identified in products of the brands “Shchedny God” (2.3%, no more than 2% is allowed for the highest grade) and “Agrocomplex Vyselkovsky” (3.56%, no more than 3% is allowed for the first grade). 4 more products did not meet the advanced standard of Roskachestvo (no more than 1.5% of crushed grain). All other products “fit” into both mandatory and increased requirements.
The product of one brand has a slightly higher content of spoiled kernels (rotten, moldy, charred during heat treatment). The leading standard of Roskachestvo allows their content to be 0.1%.
According to GOST, premium-grade buckwheat must contain at least 99.2% of high-quality kernels, the first – 98.9%, the third – 97.2%. According to the requirements of Roskachestvo – from 99.5%. All products meet the highest standards.
The benefits of buckwheat
Analysts also assessed the amino acid composition of buckwheat protein, as well as the amount of vitamins and minerals. The analysis confirmed that buckwheat is a truly healthy and nutritious product. Buckwheat protein contains essential amino acids and can be considered a source of them.
As for vitamins and minerals, 100 grams of dry cereal may contain half or even the entire daily requirement of some substances (although during cooking, of course, some of the vitamins will disintegrate):
- The content of vitamin B1 is from 0.08 to 0.25 mg/100 g with a daily requirement of 1.4 mg per day.
- The content of vitamin B2 is from 0.09 to 0.19 mg/100 g with a daily requirement of 1.6 mg per day.
- Iron content is from 1.8 to 3.5 mg/100 g with an average daily requirement of 14 mg per day.
- Selenium content is from 0.008 to 0.014 mg/100 g with an average daily requirement of 0.07 mg per day.
- Magnesium content is from 124.8 to 432.7 mg/100 g with an average daily requirement of 400 mg per day.
- Potassium content is from 330.7 to 622.2 mg/100 g with an average daily requirement of 3500 mg per day.
- The phosphorus content is from 0.14 to 0.3 mg/100 g with an average daily requirement of 800 mg per day.
Buckwheat in cooking bags is no different from loose buckwheat. Seven out of 14 such products are eligible for the Russian Quality Mark. Buckwheat in bags contains the same amount of vitamins and amino acids as in loose cereal. Thus, the use of bags is just a packaging method that does not affect the quality in any way.
Other violations
Underweight was recorded in products of the Lenta, Cherry Orchard, and Red Price brands. In buckwheat of the Passim, Teplye Traditsii, CJSC Citadel, and Lavrovskaya brands, there are discrepancies between the actual and the mass fraction of protein indicated in the labeling.
In buckwheat of the Passim, “Warm Traditions”, “Goodwill”, CJSC “Citadel”, “Lavrovskaya”, “Agromaster”, “Altai Skazka”, “Cherry Orchard”, “Razdolye Zolotoe” brands, discrepancies were identified between the indicated and actual mass fraction carbohydrates. Buckwheat TM “Lavrovskaya” also contains unreliable content of iron, potassium, phosphorus and vitamins B1 and B2.
All cereal producers were notified of the study results.
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