White lupins

Lupinus albus, also cited as L. termis, is the white-flowered lupin whose pods hold large off-white seeds packed with protein and oil. Roasted seeds have served as coffee substitutes, and lupin flour replaces soy meal in foods and feeds, bringing high protein with very little starch. The seeds’ bitter alkaloids are potentially toxic and are removed by water washing, or bred out in sweet low-alkaloid varieties, with regulatory limits guarding the food supply. Lupin is a declared allergen related to peanut, so labelling is mandatory. Agronomists also value it as a nitrogen fixer in crop rotations.