The Effect of Dehulling Lupine Seeds (Lupinus albus L.) from Low-Alkaloid Varieties on the Chemical Composition and Fatty Acids Content

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of dehulling white lupine seeds (Lupinus albus, cultivar Amiga) on the raw chemical composition and nutritional profile of lipids. There was no significant differences (p ˃ 0.05) between whole and dehulled lupine seeds in respect of their content in dry matter, ether extract, crude ash and nitrogen-free extract. However, the dehulled lupine seeds had a higher (p ˂ 0.05) crude protein level (51.69% of DM) than whole seeds (43.16% of DM), and a lower (p ˂ 0.05) crude fiber content (4.35% of DM) compared to that of whole seeds (14.15% of DM). The fatty acids profile is not affected (p ˃ 0.05) by the dehulling process. Oleic acid (C18:1 cis-9) is the main fatty acid in lupine seeds, and the level of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) is slightly higher in whole seeds. The n-3 / n-6 report is adequate in both whole (0.88) and dehulled (0.94) seeds, and the favorable polyunsaturated index (PI) indicates the high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which indicates that lupine seeds are a valuable source of essential fatty acids. Also, lupine seeds are characterized by favorable values of the thrombogenic (0.18) and atherogenic (0.14) indexes, and an appropriate hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic index value, features considered important for human health and animal nutrition.