Written by Ajanthy Arulpragasam Monday, 22 September 2008 14:09
Western Australia’s Centre for Food and Genomic Medicine (CFGM) is a collaborative effort formed to tackle the twin epidemics of diabetes and obesity, known as ‘diabesity’.
Lupin kernel flour is a wheat flour substitute that can increase protein and fibre and reduce carbohydrate content in baked goods / Image: Wikimedia commons
According to Dr Jonathan Hodgson, a principal research fellow at the CFGM, lupin kernel flour is high in protein and fibre and has been shown to lower cholesterol in humans.
“Lupin kernel flour is novel food ingredient with a unique macronutrient composition. It contains about 45% protein, 30% dietary fibre and almost no carbohydrates,” he said.
Together with Bodhi’s Bakery in Fremantle, the CFGM has developed a bread enriched in lupin flour.
“Lupin kernel flour can be substituted for wheat flour in baked foods such as breads to increase protein and fibre and reduce carbohydrate content,” said Dr Hodgson.
“Forty per cent of flour usually present in white bread is replaced with lupin flour.”
A study in overweight women examining the effects of lupin on appetite comparing white bread with lupin bread was conducted at the CFGM.
“What we found in this study was that the lupin bread in comparison to the white bread resulted in increased self-reported fullness and reduced hunger three hours after a meal,” said Dr Hodgson.
“[Lupin bread] reduced energy (food) intake by 25% within a meal and participants also ate less for the following meal.”
The lupin grain, which is made up of a hard outer seed coat and an inner kernel, has multiple uses and additional benefits according to Ms Sophia Sipsas from the Department of Agriculture and Food.
“You can sprout [the lupin seed] and eat it whole,” said Ms Sipsas.
“Lupin kernel flour can be used in bakery products such as biscuits, cakes, croissants, pasta and noodles.
“Protein can be extracted from lupins and can be used to make a lupin milk, mayonnaise and sauces.
“Lupins help improve bowel health by helping improve the microflora and pH of gut,” she said.
“The carotenoids of lupin, lutein and zeaxanthin, have been implicated to be important in age-related macular degeneration. As you age, people lose pigments in their eye. Preliminary data suggests that a diet high in these two components helps reduce degeneration as you age.”
Other bioactive agents in lupins have been shown to be anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory and used in skin regeneration.
Comments (6)
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written by Veronica Bantleman, October 02, 2008
could you please tell me where I could get organic lupin flour or grain in Perth.
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written by Bert Dijkink, October 06, 2008
We are already producing for more then 10 years now lupin flour for the european foodmarket(www.lifrank.nl)
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written by R Alcorn, July 17, 2009
The problem, as I see it, with Lupin and many other products that are only recently being introduced into the human diet is that there may be problems with them that will be overlooked by those looking for an easy fix for bad dieting. Many people are allergic to lupin, for instance. People who are allergic to peanuts are more likely to be allergic to lupin. There are a number of studies that can be found with a simple google search. I am not saying that lupin shouldn't be considered as a food product, but I would be careful and I would certainly start off using it slowly to see if you have any adverse affects.
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written by Annie, February 06, 2010
As I love bread, I have been looking for a plant that could replace wheat for making flour. Wheat robs the soil and is totally dependant on fertilisers, thereby making wheat flour a pretty unhealthy food. Also, we are now at peak oil and as fertilisers are produced from petroleum, they will shortly increase in cost, making wheat growing uneconomical. Lupin looks like it offers an ideal replacement.
Lupin is a nitrogen fixing plant which improves impoverished soils, in contrast with wheat which robs the soil. It therefore has much greater prospects to be grown on organic farms and seems the ideal solution to save our planet: improve the soil and produce an alternative for wheat. It's a hardy plant and should be able to survive weather extremes better than wheat, is cheap to grow,we should be able to get our organic bakery products at a reasonable price. Question now is how to get the flour so I can start baking with it. Any guidance appreciated.
Lupin is a nitrogen fixing plant which improves impoverished soils, in contrast with wheat which robs the soil. It therefore has much greater prospects to be grown on organic farms and seems the ideal solution to save our planet: improve the soil and produce an alternative for wheat. It's a hardy plant and should be able to survive weather extremes better than wheat, is cheap to grow,we should be able to get our organic bakery products at a reasonable price. Question now is how to get the flour so I can start baking with it. Any guidance appreciated.
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written by Dr.Alagan, April 16, 2010
Interesting read. I must say Lupin has been around for centuries, far back as the Roman Empire, as have many other exotic pest plants. It is imperative to understand that as with most protein inriched products, the world seems to have been drawn upon a more steady and relaxed approach to health, which could elude human life, far so more today than ever before, as human obesity rates are at shocking scales and should look at more positively engaging in health related fitness activities. Lupin, in some countries, are also used as a snack whilst consuming beer - since lupin is at it's early stages for researchers and manufacturers now, there could be profound effects at a later stage.
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