THE STRUCTURE OF THE SEED COAT OF LUPINS ( LUPINUS SP.) AS AN INDICATOR OF POTENTIAL CHANGES IN NUTRITIVE VALUE

SUMMARY The chemical components and structures of seed coats of 19 lines of Lupinus angustifolius, L. pilosus, L. atlanticus and L. cosentinii were determined. The results showed that neutral and acid detergent fibre contents in L. pilosus, L. atlanticus and L. cosentinii were significantly higher (PcO.01) than in L. angustifolius . There were no differences in lignin and protein contents among L. pilosus, L. atlanticus and L. cosentinii. The thickness of seed coats had large variation among the species. L. pilosus had the thickest coat (611.6 2 34.7 pm)., and L. angustifolius had the thinnest (302.9 2 5.3 pm). The correlation between the chemical components and the thickness of layers is discussed.