title: The future of lupin as a protein crop in Europe.
abstract: Europe has become heavily dependent on soya bean imports, entailing trade agreements and quality standards that do not satisfy the European citizen's expectations. White, yellow, and narrow-leafed lupins are native European legumes that can become true alternatives to soya bean, given their elevated and high-quality protein content, potential health benefits, suitability for sustainable production, and acceptability to consumers. Nevertheless, lupin cultivation in Europe remains largely insufficient to guarantee a steady supply to the food industry, which in turn must innovate to produce attractive lupin-based protein-rich foods. Here, we address different aspects of the food supply chain that should be considered for lupin exploitation as a high-value protein source. Advanced breeding techniques are needed to provide new lupin varieties for socio-economically and environmentally sustainable cultivation. Novel processes should be optimized to obtain high-quality, safe lupin protein ingredients, and marketable foods need to be developed and offered to consumers. With such an integrated strategy, lupins can be established as an alternative protein crop, capable of promoting socio-economic growth and environmental benefits in Europe.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ICA-CSIC , Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M Mercedes
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki , Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Frederick L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Stoddard
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Fodder Crops and Dairy Productions, CRA , Lodi, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Annicchiarico
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food Science Technology and Nutrition, ICTAN-CSIC , Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Juana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frías
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food Science Technology and Nutrition, ICTAN-CSIC , Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martínez-Villaluenga
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer-Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging , Freising, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sussmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Environment and Nutritional Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duranti
authors.affiliation: Terrena Lup'Ingredients , Martigne-Ferchaud, France.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seger
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, ZALF , Müncheberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Zander
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ICA-CSIC , Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: José J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Pueyo
keywords: breeding; food supply chain; lupin; plant protein; protein crop; protein foods; protein ingredients