Copyright © 2012 Harbans L. Bhardwaj and Anwar A. Hamama. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Composition of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) sprouts was significantly affected by growing location whereas cultivar effects were not significant. In general, sprouts made from seed produced at Petersburg, a location with cooler climate and heavier soils, were superior to those produced from seed produced at Suffolk, a location with warmer climate and sandier soils. White lupin sprouts, on average, contained 41 percent protein and 8 percent oil. Contents of fatty acids, expressed as percentage of oil, were 10, 2, 1, 4, 1, 1, 43, 20, 10, 5, 2, 18, 82, 51, and 31, respectively, for C16:0, C18:0, C20:0, C22:0, C24:0, C16:1, C18:1, C18:2, C18:3, C20:1, and C22:1, total saturated, total unsaturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The ratio between linoleic (C18:2) and linolenic (C18:3) fatty acids in white lupin sprouts was 0.5. White lupin sprouts, on average, contained 0.4, 0.8, 0.3, 0.3, 0.2, and 0.04 percent P, K, S, Ca, Mg, and Na, respectively. White lupin sprouts, on average, contained 51, 15, 139, 10, 51, and 14 mg·kg⁻¹ Fe, Al, Mn, Cu, Zn, and B, respectively. Based on this study, it was concluded that white lupin sprouts are a potential human food.