Good Grains International, Inc.

Lupin Products

Uses of the Sweet White Lupin Bean

The Sweet White Lupin Bean produces three principal products: Lupin oil, Lupin flour and Lupin fiber. Crude Lupin Oil is produced by a process called solvent extraction. After the seed has been cleaned and dehulled by machines, crushed and its oil removed the remaining flakes are called Lupin meal. The fiber may be separated and the remaining product is often micro-ground into flour.

The Sweet White Lupin Bean also produces a valuable secondary product, Lupin sprouts.

Lupin Oil

Lupin Oil is an industrial feed stock used in the creation of two vegetable oil products:

technical refined oil, and
edible refined oil.

Technical refined oil is produced by putting crude Lupin oil through several processes. First, manufacturers purify the crude oil by adding a mixture of water and a chemical called an alkali. Next, the oil is washed and dried. Then the oil is bleached by absorbent clay and passed through a filter, producing technical refined oil. Technical refined oil is used in the manufacturing of products such as candles, disinfectants, linoleum, soaps, and varnishes.

Edible refined oil is produced by deodorizing technical refined oil. The technical refined oil is heated and steamed to remove its unpleasant odor and flavor. More than 90 percent of the crude vegetable oil used in the United States is processed into edible refined oil. About one-third of the edible oil goes into making products used in commercial baking and frying. The rest is used in manufacturing cooking oils for home use and in making margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressings and other food products. Edible refined oil is also an ingredient of a variety of other products, including adhesive tape, carbon paper, various drugs and leather softeners.

Lupin Meal

Lupin meal can be directly used as food for livestock, fish and poultry, and can be finely ground into Lupin flour or coarsely ground into Lupin grits. Lupin flour is a superb source of protein and other important nutrients, ideal for use in baby foods, cereals and various low-calorie foods and drinks. The uses of Lupin grits can range from candy to processed meats such as patties, sausages and meat extenders. Both Lupin flour and grits are excellent additives to baked goods and pet foods.

Additionally, Lupin flour is an industrial feed stock used in the production of a variety of other important Lupin-based products. A product called Lupin protein concentrate is produced when approximately one-sixth of the non-protein content is extracted from the Lupin flour. The concentrate is a cream, which can be made into a powder or grainy substance and can be used in baby foods, cereals and processed meats. Another product, called Lupin protein isolate, is produced by removing about a fourth of the non-protein content from Lupin flour. Lupin protein isolate can be used to provide firmness and protein in various processed foods, especially meats.

Functionally, Lupin protein has high water and oil absorption characteristics and exhibits better solubility, whippability and comparable emulsification capacity to soy protein. Lupin is an excellent fermentation substrate. Its fermented flavorings and sauces are a similar and effective replacement for soy sauce. Consider the following: A variety of Lupin meal products make up a group of foods called textured vegetable protein (TVP). These foods can be chemically treated to look and taste like meat in order to appeal to consumers. TVP foods can be mixed with meat or eaten alone. They are less expensive than meat and contain more protein. TVP products are made of either extruded Lupin protein or spun Lupin protein.

Extruded Lupin protein is produced when Lupin flour is extruded (pushed) from machines in the same way that toothpaste is squeezed from tubes. The machine shakes the Lupin flour into small meat-like pieces. The product may be dried before being packaged for sale. Extruded Lupin protein becomes moist and chewy when the consumer adds water.

Spun Lupin protein is made by spinning Lupin protein isolate into fibers. Spun Lupin products resemble such meats as beef, chicken and ham. They can be sold in canned, dried and frozen form.

Many food items could contain Lupin meal, while not consisting entirely of treated Lupins. These products, called Lupin derivatives, include food flavorings, Lupin milk and Lupin sauce. Lupin meal can also be used in manufacturing such products as fertilizers, fire extinguisher fluid, paint and insect sprays.

As is evidenced above, the potential for Sweet White Lupin in human food consumption is enormous and has only begun its development. Lupin flour and Lupin meal have been used very successfully in pastas, cereals and flours. Consequently, Lupin proteins are a superb supplement to wheat, Triticale and other grains, due to their complementary characteristics. Wheat flour contains between 8-10% of protein, whereas Lupin flour contains approximately 40% protein. In wheat, the first lacking amino acid is lysine, while it contains acceptable concentrations of Methionine. Lupin protein is somewhat low in Methionine but contains very high concentrations of lysine.

Lupin Fiber

Lupin fiber is made from the hull of the Lupin seed and is an important and edible Lupin by-product. Lupin fiber includes cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, as well as pectin and natural gum, all of which provide the necessary bulk for good digestion, in quantities 3 to 5 times greater than the soybean. This is no small distinction, as edible fiber is in great demand and its many uses represent a rapidly growing market. Lupin fiber is water absorptive, rendering it a soft and highly desirable fiber for use in human and animal consumption. After the seed is mechanically dehulled, the hull is ground, cleaned and bagged as fiber, exceptional for use in bread, cereal and baked goods.

It is a widely held belief among health practitioners and medical professionals, that a high content of bran or of dietary fiber is typically associated with the lowering of cholesterol blood serum levels and to the general maintenance or improvement of health.

Lupin Sprouts

Although Sweet White Lupin sprouts are secondary to Lupin oil, flour and fiber, they bear mentioning in this section as they constitute a viable agricultural/produce farming product high in demand, with considerable commercial and retail potential. Lupin sprouts grow faster than soybean sprouts, producing long straight stems resembling soybeans in appearance and having excellent color, crispness and freshness (Lee, 1986). Yu et al (1986) found a 7.5-fold increase in weight with sprouting of lupine compared to a 5-fold increase for soy and mung beans. This means that Lupin sprouts outyield their competition by 33% on average. Sprouting characteristically reduces the level of alkaloids, phylates and oligosaccarides present in bean crops, though by composition, they are generally considerably lower in Lupins than in soybeans. Extensive consumer studies have shown a very high acceptability rating for Lupin sprouts and their use in complement with products such as pickles, spring rolls, salad vegetables and sandwiches. Sprouts of various origins from alfalfa to legumes are considered an extremely vital and healthy food, as is evidenced by the enormous growth of their markets over recent years.