Lupines: An Alternative for Debittering and Utilization in Foods

Introduction ........................................................................................................233 Chemical Composition of

Lupinus campestris

...............................................234 Debittering of Seeds ..........................................................................................235 Total Carbohydrates and Oligosaccharides ..................................................236 Quinolizidine Alkaloids ...................................................................................239 Tannins................................................................................................................. 242 Lupine Milk Elaboration ..................................................................................243 Fermentation Profiles ........................................................................................245 Amino Acid Composition ................................................................................247 References ...........................................................................................................248

In studies on legume seed protein spanning more than a century, the soy bean has been for many decades the only legume crop on which significant research has been undertaken. Besides its traditional uses, an extremely wide area of use has been developed for this crop in animal feeds, human foods, and other industrial applications; however, soy beans are not adapted to many climatic conditions. On the other hand, lupines are able to grow under climatic conditions on soils that soy beans would never tolerate; in fact, the soil would be improved because the lupine roots fix nitrogen, and crop rotation can provide better yields (Feldheim, 1999). Cultivation of lupines is still limited and has never exceeded 7000 ha per year; the potential planting area, however, is estimated at 1 million ha (Imane and Al Faïz, 1999). About 90 species have been reported in México, but these wild lupines have not been exploited at a commercial level.