Lupinine

Lupinine is a bitter tasting alkaloid present in Lupinus spp. of leguminose plants. In the scientific literature are specifications as well for isolation as for synthesis of this compound to be found.The bitter taste of the Lupinus beans renders them unsuitable for human and animal consumption. In the past, Lupinus spp. plants have been used as green fertilizers for acidic soils. However, efforts were made to develop "sweet" varieties of Lupinus for human consumption. The presently available "sweet" Lupinus spp. varieties' seeds still contain reduced concentrations of lupinin. However, due to the high protein content (up to 40%) of Lupinus seeds, efforts are made by extraction (hexane-alcohol-water) to reduce lupinine content of the seeds and to produce lupin milk and other types of food ingredients from Lupinus spp.