Lupins

María Villagrasa & Fernando Diaz

The deficit of feed protein sources in Europe is considered a major problem with alternative sources needed to be found to reduce dependence on imported protein concentrates. From this perspective, lupin seeds can be an alternative source of locally produced proteins.

Lupin seeds contain 28 to 42% crude protein (CP) on a dry matter (DMS) basis; this protein however degrades rapidly in the rumen. It also contains a high concentration of carbohydrates and non-digestible fiber.

In addition to the high protein content, the lupin plant has a great capacity for nitrogen fixation and the release of organic phosphorus from the soil, thus improving the soil nutrient profile for subsequent crops.

The oil in lupin seeds could play an important nutritional role because of their fatty acid profile (FA), particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which are important in human and animal nutrition.

Special emphasis is placed on enough consumption of omega-3 FA with a recommended ratio of n-3 to n-6 of 1:4 in the diet. Lupin seed oil has a balanced FA composition with a total saturated FA of approximately 10% and a total PUFA of 90%. Among the PUFAs, the most abundant are oleic and linoleic, comprising 86% of the total oil.