Lupin improves bowel health

"Low-fat lupin full of beans"

Source: The Weekend Australian
July 09, 2005

LUPINS have been grown and the seed used as food since ancient times. The Roman writer Pliny said of the white lupin that "if taken commonly at meals, it will contribute a fresh colour and a cheerful countenance".

Two thousand years later, lupins are once again a source of good cheer: food scientists at Deakin University have revealed that the Australian sweet lupin can replace fat in meat, lower cholesterol, decrease blood glucose levels, improve bowel health, lower the risk of bowel cancer and taste good too.

Dr Ramon Hall, one of the Deakin University food scientists who conducted the tests, says their research has generated a lot of interest from industry and "there is a possibility for its use in the fast-food arena".

The small creamy-coloured Australian sweet lupin is the fifth-largest crop in Australia and is predominantly exported to the international animal feed market; the remainder is fed to domestic cattle.

Like the soybean - which has been indicated in the lowering of cholesterol, the prevention of heart disease, the stabilisation of blood sugar levels and the risk reduction of bowel cancer - the Australian sweet lupin is very high in protein and nutrients. But with its lower levels of fat and higher fibre content, the lupin has even more to offer than its high-profile soy cousin. A recently completed Deakin University study, which is waiting for journal submission, has revealed that Australian sweet lupin fibre is indicated in improving bowel health and potentially lowering the risk of bowel cancer.

In another study conducted by the university, 38 men ate a control diet and a diet of food products enriched with Australian sweet lupin fibre for a month each. The study found that the lupin-enriched diet lowered total blood cholesterol by 4.5 per cent and the nasty LDL cholesterol by 5.4 per cent (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2005;59(3):325-333).

The addition of Australian sweet lupin flour to white bread also helped to lower the blood glucose levels of 11 men (Asia Pacific Journal of Nutrition 2005;14(1):91-97), while yet another Deakin University study achieved a 37 per cent reduction in the fat content of sausage patties by replacing meat fat with lupin fibre (British Journal of Nutrition 2004;91(4):591-599).

All the studies observed a positive response to the palatability of the lupin-enriched products.

And with results like these, George Weston Foods, which supplies bread and meat products to Pizza Hut, Hungry Jacks and McDonald's, says it has big plans for this little bean.

The food giant has been involved in lupin research development for the past two years with the aid of a $1.5 million grant from the federal Government's National Food Innovation Strategy.

They have also been working with the West Australian Department of Agriculture on breeding and processing the crop, which is predominantly grown in Western Australia. The company, which makes many well-known household brands, supplied the Deakin University project with a range of experimental lupin-enriched products, including cakes, muffins, bread and pasta.

Lupin-enriched chocolate milk and orange juice were also trialled, but the Deakin University team created these.

According to Peter Schutz, chief executive of George Weston Foods Technologies, his company has also extracted a number of patented proteins and fibres from lupins, some of which can whip like egg whites and others that have the "mouthfeel" of fats when eaten.

"If you could make a healthy salami, that would be a major breakthrough - they are all part of what we are talking about," he says.

As one of the two main suppliers to the Australian fast food industry, Schutz says his company keeps a very close tab on that market. He believes the increased awareness of issues like obesity and the need for healthier food will make the fast food industry receptive to this development.

But while George Weston Foods' own nutrition policy has motivated their interest in lupin, it was their non-GM stance and their desire to find a replacement for soy that led them to the Australian sweet lupin.

"Soy is used extensively within the food industry and the majority of soy in Australia is imported and you can't guarantee on the world market that you are going to get non-GM soy," Schutz says.

Last financial year, Australia imported 39,602 tonnes of soybeans and 312,150 tonnes of soybean meal at a cost of $132 million. We exported almost double that quantity in lupins to the international animal feed market (605,912 tonnes) at the near-equivalent value of $130 million.

Australia is currently the world's biggest producers of lupins. "The lupin is very similar to soybeans as a product and we are wondering why we import soy products from overseas to make soy foods, versus exporting a similar sort of crop to be fed into the animal market. It seems a bit silly," Hall says.

According to Sophie Sipsas, project manager of grain and legume product development at the WA Department of Agriculture, a number of European companies share the same concerns over GM food and have made the switch to lupins.

Many companies have used lupin flour to cut the amount of butter and eggs used in cakes, pastries and confectionery. Even the finicky French have joined this trend, with one company using lupins in such national emblems as croissants and brioche. In Australia, lupins have been used to substitute up to 30 per cent of soybeans in tofu.

Lupin research is fast replicating much of the work that has been done on the health benefits of soy.

And with George Weston Foods planning to build the world's largest lupin de-hulling plant in Western Australia, Schutz says it won't be long before the benefits of lupins will be appearing in a cake near you.

"Over the next two to three years you will see lupins appearing as an ingredient," he says.