Lupin bitter

All these data support the idea that QA may function as chemical defense compounds. We also tested whether this chemical defense is relevant for the survival of a lupin plant. Lupins offer a unique chance to explore this question experimentally plant breeders have selected "sweet" varieties, which have a very low alkaloid content. These varieties can be compared to semi-bitter or bitter ones. We have grown Lupinus albus strains that differ in their alkaloid content in our experimental garden and greenhouse and have monitored their susceptibility to attack by plant pests. As can be seen from Figure 2, "sweet" lupins are preferentially eaten by rabbits (Cuniculus europaeus) or are infested by aphids (Aphidae) or leaf miners (Agromyzidae). Literature data also support the assumption that alkaloid-rich lupins are much more resistant to plant pests than "sweet" varieties (30-32). We conclude therefore, that QA are indeed important for the fitness of a lupin plant and that they constitute a major part of its chemical defense system, in which... 

This is a non-chemical, and probably the first biological, method of determining the presence of alkaloids. It was first used particularly with quinolizidine alkaloids in lupine plants. The tasters were men or animals, even in ancient times. It is based on the fact that quinolizidine alkaloid has a bitter taste. This method is qualitative. Taste is a subjective and individual category, especially in the... 

Cwojdzihski, W., Michalski, Z Nowak, K. and Gulewicz, K. 1989. Studies on the influence of bitter lupine extract on the yield of different cultivated plants. Lupin Newsletter, 13 46-54. 

Kahnt, G. and Hijazi, L. A. 1987. Effect of bitter lupin extract on growth and yield of different crops. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 159 320-328. 

Gulewicz, K. and Trojanowska, K. 1995. Suppressive effect of preparations obtained from bitter lupin straw against plant pathogenic fungi. Science of Legumes, 2 141-148. 

The widely planted and ornamental laburnum trees offer a particular risk, since all parts, including the pealike seeds, contain dangerously high amounts of alkaloids. So-called sweet lupins are selected strains with an acceptably low alkaloid content (typically about a quarter of the total alkaloids of bitter strains), which are grown as a high protein crop. 

Its enantiomer, (+)-sparteine, is also a natural product, but is more easily obtained by resolution and reduction of the racemic lactam 6164 (obtained from the bitter lupin Lupinus albus). Nonetheless, (+)-60 is much less readily available than (-)-60, and its general use in synthesis is impractical at present. Sparteine s two diastereoisomers a-isosparteine 64 and (3-isosparteine 65 also occur naturally, though they are more conveniently obtained by isomerisation of (-)-sparteine 60 via the enamines 62 and 63.65 Although both... 

Lupines are known as rich leguminosae in lipids and proteins. This makes them very interesting if they were produced in a large industrial scale. However the presence of bitter and poisonous quinolizidine alkaloids is the main obstacle to overcome for a broader utilisation. 

Because alkaloids often deter the feeding of insects, such as aphids and bugs (Table I), viral infection rates may be reduced in alkaloid-rich plants. Such a correlation exists for alkaloid-rich lupines (so-called bitter... 

Lupines have relatively large seeds which contain up to 40-50% protein, up to 20% lipids, and 2-8% alkaloids. To use lupine seed for animal or human nutrition, Homo sapiens, for several thousand years, used to cook the seeds and leach out the alkaloids in running water. This habit has been reported for the Egyptians and Greeks in the Old World, and for the Indians and Incas of the New World. The resulting seeds taste sweet, in contrast to the alkaloid-rich ones which are very bitter. In Mediterranean countries people still process lupines in the old way, and sometimes the... 

Bitter (Alkaloid-Rich) versus Sweet (Low-Alkaloid) Lupines... 

Sheep n.i." n.i. Sweet lupines are preferred, bitter discriminated 458... 

Warren-Wilson (285) has shown that the downward migration of the Atropa alkaloids is via the phloem, and experiments with lupines confirm this (271). Here the root content is determined lai ely by that of the aerial portion, as was shown by grafting bitter lupines on sweet lupines and on non-alkaloid bearing legume stock (271, 273). A similar migration to the seeds of a Pisum has been reported by others (272). 

In turn likewise shalt thou let the stuhhles lie fallow, and the idle field cmst over unstirred or else there under changed skies sow golden spelt, where before thou hadst reaped the pea with wealth of rattling pods, or the tiny vetch crop, or the brittle stalks and mstling underwood of the bitter lupin. ... 

The majority of the global lupin production is used by stockfeed manufacturers as a source of protein and fiber for ruminants, pig, and poultry or in aquaculture. Only 4% is currently consumed as human food. Seeds from bitter lupin cultivars are traditionally eaten as Lupini snacks in southern Europe. They are commonly sold in a salty solution in jars and can be eaten with or without the skin. However, since... 

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