Chemical composition, nutritive value, and toxicology evaluation of Mexican wild lupins

The nutrient composition, toxic factors content, and nutritional and toxico logical value of Lupinus splendens, L. rotundiflorus, L. elegans, L. simula ns, L. exaltatus, L. reflexus, and L. madrensis species from Mexico were an alyzed. The seeds of these species were a good source of protein. All the s pecies showed a high lysine and tryptophan content, though sulfur amino aci ds were limiting. Cyanogenic glycosides were absent, and lectins, trypsin i nhibitors, and tannins were present in low concentrations. Lupanine was the major alkaloid in almost all the samples, although sparteine was the major alkaloid in Lupinus reflexus (26.63 mg/g of sample). Cytisine was not foun d in any of the studied lupins. L. reflexus showed the highest acute toxici ty, and L. elegans exhibited no toxicity as evaluated using a mice model. T he alkaloid was reduced by hot-water extraction. The protein efficiency rat io in water-debittered seeds was relatively poor (1.1-1.5). These results s uggest that the wild lupins studied represent a potential protein supply, a nd they could be domesticated and used for animal feed if the alkaloids wer e eliminated and the protein was supplemented with methionine, or if the lu pins were used. in mixture with cereals.