QUANTIFICATION OF QUINOLIZIDINE ALKALOIDS IN LUPIN SEEDS , LUPIN -BASED INGREDIENTS AND FOODS

Since lupin proteins are more and more used to replace animal proteins and other plants ingredients in foods such as bakery products, imitation dairy and meat products, and beverages, there is an increasing risk of an undesired exposition to quinolizidine alkaloids, bitter compounds produced by lupin plants as a defence against predators that have shown to possess acute oral toxicity mainly related to neurological effects. In order to estimate the current exposition of the EU population, quinolizidine alkaloids were quantified in 3 seed samples, 3 protein isolates and 18 foods, either models or commercially available. Our data indicate that all food samples respect the maximum limit of 200 mg/kg fixed by the Health Authorities of Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, and France. Two samples of L. albus and L. angustifolius exceeded 200 mg/kg. The contents are particularly low in lupin protein isolates and in foods containing these ingredients, indicating that their use is a very effective tool for keeping low the alkaloid daily intake.