Biotech Updates

Protein-Rich Lupin, Coming to a Plate Near You

November 21, 2008

Australians could soon be consuming a high protein, semi-domesticated grain eaten by the Incas a thousand years ago. Researchers at the University of Western Australia's (UWA) Center for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA) and the Department of Agriculture and Food WA (DAFWA) are turning their attention to pearl lupin (Lupinus mutabilis), a nitrogen-fixing legume very high in oil and originally from the Andes in South America.

Pearl lupin oil is high in unsaturated fatty acids and low in erucic acid. It also has a good profile of amino acids relative to other legumes. As an added bonus, pearl lupin has a thin seed coat similar to soybean making it highly suitable for dehulling.

A three-year, Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded project will focus on increasing the yield and improving the adaptation of pearl lupin to high rainfall zones of Australia, with the ultimate aim being commercial release of a new variety. At this early stage of the project, the researchers have successfully bred low alkaloid, earlier flowering breeding lines with reasonable agronomy.

Read more at http://www.clima.uwa.edu.au/news?f=23355