An updated and comprehensive review on the potential food applications and health benefits of buckwheat fermented with probiotic strains

Probiotic-fermentation of pseudocereals undergoes controlled microbiological growth, increases nutritional value, enhances sensory properties, and prolongs the shelf-life of fermented products. Fermented buckwheat, which is a high-nutrient pseudocereal, has newly emerged as being of great interest due to its prebiotic potential and several health benefits. This review provides a comprehensive overview of how probiotic fermentation enhances the nutritional profile and reduces antinutritional factors in buckwheat. Additionally, it highlights the potential food applications and health benefits of probiotic-fermented buckwheat. The composition of buckwheat can be positively altered through probiotic fermentation, enhancing its nutritional value and bioavailability of vitamins, minerals, and other bioactive compounds. Buckwheat fermentation can be applied to produce many functional foods, such as gluten-free bakery products, nondairy yogurt, and gluten-free beverages, as well as the production of bioactive peptides. Furthermore, fermented buckwheat showed many health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-allergenicity, antihypertensive, lipid-lowering, and antimicrobial activities, as well as its role in the modulation of gut microbiota. Innovations in microbial technology can inform the further use of probiotic-fermented buckwheat in the food sector when commercialized.