title: Nutritive quality and protein production from grain legumes in a boreal climate.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Boreal cropping systems are heavily focused on the production of small-grain cereals; to improve their resilience to climate change and to achieve food and feed security, diversification is needed. This study investigated the potential of faba bean, narrow-leafed lupin and lentil as protein crops in southern Finland, where faba bean is traditional but the other two are novel.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Early cultivars of narrow-leafed lupin and lentil matured adequately. Protein concentration in faba bean was, at 32%, higher than the world average of 29%, while those of narrow-leafed lupin and lentil were close to their world averages. Protein yields decreased in the order faba bean > narrow-leafed lupin > lentil. Lipid content of faba bean and lentil was about 1.2% and that of narrow-leafed lupin about 5.5%, and fatty acid composition was largely oleic and linoleic in all three species.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both lentil and narrow-leafed lupin can be added to the range of feed and food crops produced at high latitudes in Europe. While faba bean produces the greatest protein yield and lysine concentration, the higher sulfur amino acid concentration in lupin, its oil content and its adaptation to acid, sandy soils not suitable for faba bean make it an attractive alternative.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, PO Box 27, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Clara I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Lizarazo
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, PO Box 27, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Anna-Maija
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lampi
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, PO Box 27, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Jingwei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, PO Box 27, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Tuula
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sontag-Strohm
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, PO Box 27, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Vieno
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Piironen
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, PO Box 27, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Frederick L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Stoddard
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D002980:Climate; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D005387:Finland; D009753:Nutritive Value / Q000502:physiology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000592:standards; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins
keywords: faba bean; fatty acids; lentil; narrow-leafed lupin; protein; seed composition