Lupin Loop: The Revolutionary Food Ingredient

Start date: 2 January 2025
End date: 23 February 2026
Funder: Innovate UK
Partners and collaborators: SoyaUK - https://www.soya-uk.com/ BioPower Technologies UK Agri-Tech Centre – https://ukagritechcentre.com/ Lupin Platform - https://lupinplatform.com/ NRC Canada - https://nrc.canada.ca/en/
Primary investigator: Dr. Alan Javier Hernandez Alvarez
Postgraduate students: MSc Dolapo Olawoyin

image of seeds and logos

Lupin is an underutilized crop with significant potential to replace imported soy in both livestock feed and human food, owing to its high-quality protein content—comparable to soy and superior to peas and beans. Diversifying protein sources is essential for enhancing food security and achieving net-zero carbon targets.

Well-suited to the climates of the UK and Canada, lupin represents a transformative opportunity for the plant-based protein sector. This project aims to enhance region-specific agronomic traits for lupin cultivation, support the crop’s direct utilization through the extraction of key components (proteins, lipids, and fibres), and develop applications for these ingredients within a regionally tailored food product portfolio for North America and the UK/Europe.

Led by SoyaUK, BioPower Technologies, the University of Leeds, and UK Agri-Tech Centre in the UK, and Lupin Platform and NRC Canada in Canada, this initiative strengthens the lupin supply chain and advances sustainable protein alternatives.

Impact

• Optimized agronomic practices for lupin cultivation in Canada and the UK
• Development of sweet, alkaloid-free lupin flour
• Production of a comprehensive range of lupin-derived ingredients (proteins, fibres, and lipids) suitable for food applications
• Creation of region-specific food product portfolios targeting specialty markets