NZ Baking Industry

Lupin-enriched bakery may slash blood pressure, boost heart health

Bakeryandsnacks.com (26/02/09) reports that new research from Australia indicates that bread enriched with lupin kernel flour at the expense of wheat flour may reduce blood pressure and boost heart health. Overweight and obese men and women who consumed the lupin-enriched bakery experienced decreases in their systolic and diastolic blood pressures of 3.0 and 0.6 mm Hg, according to findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. “These results suggest that a diet moderately higher in dietary protein and fibre can significantly reduce blood pressure,” wrote the researchers, led by Jonathan Hodgson from the University of Western Australia in Perth. “They also confirm the potential of lupin kernel flour as a novel food ingredient to bring about these outcomes. This approach may be a relatively simple and acceptable dietary measure for helping to reduce cardiovascular risk in overweight and obese persons.” Lupin flour has been recognised as the next major competitor to soybean as a high protein source. Lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.), is the major grain legume grown in Australia and production exceeds 800,000 tons per year. It has traditionally been used mainly for feed; however since 2001 in Australia lupin bran and flour have been used as a substitute in food formulations for more expensive traditional cereal grains. The average protein content of lupin is just over 30 per cent, compared with 44 to 48 per cent in soybeans. In Europe, the flour is already being used in bakery and pasta products because it can replace eggs and butter to enhance colour. Other potential uses of lupins are in crunchy cereals and snacks, baby formula, soups and salads. In addition to the protein, lupin flour is also said to contain non-starch polysaccharides which act like both soluble (oat fibre) and insoluble (wheat bran) fibre. Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009, Volume 89, Pages 766-772 “Effects of lupin kernel flour-enriched bread on blood pressure: a controlled intervention study” Authors: Y.P. Lee, T.A. Mori, I.B. Puddey, S. Sipsas, T.R. Ackland, L.J. Beilin, J.M. Hodgson