German brand Made With Luve has developed the country’s first lupin drinks, after researchers found a way to produce purely herbal lupin protein isolate from the plant’s seeds.
The product range has been aimed at both health-conscious consumers and vegans – and includes ice cream, desserts, yogurt alternatives and lupin drinks in both natural and chocolate flavours.
Lupin seeds were considered a high-value staple food in ancient Egypt, Greece and South America, but people lost interest in them because of the bitter compounds they contain. With between 36% and 48% protein content, lupin seeds are extremely high in protein, and in material composition they are similar to soybeans. Indeed, their high protein content could make the plant a climate-friendly and GMO-free alternative to imported soybeans.
Lupin seeds contain all the essential amino acids – including lysine – with a fat content of between 4% and 7%, much lower than soybeans. In addition, lupins are free from starch, cholesterol and gluten, and they are a good source of minerals and trace elements.
Malte Stampe, managing director of brand owner Prolupin, said: “The seeds of the native sweet blue lupin are the raw material for the protein, which we extract using a patented and very gentle process developed by the Fraunhofer IVV. In foods, milk, meat and egg can be replaced with the protein – making lupins of interest for vegetarians, vegans and anyone else who wants to eat a healthy, varied diet that is also climate-friendly. Lupins flourish particularly well in sandy soils such as those found in northern and central Europe – they can therefore be grown on the soils here, and also harvested and processed here. Lupins thus have a CO2 bonus compared to soybeans. We don’t need to fly the lupins halfway round the world, thus avoiding the CO2 emissions generated by long transport routes. And lupins are even good for the soil, enriching it with nitrogen.”
The Made With Luve lupin drinks have been packaged in green carton packs from packaging manufacturer SIG Combibloc.
Stampe continued: “We decided to bring out our lupin drinks in carton packs. The carton packs from SIG Combibloc safeguard the quality of the beverages, and are gentle on the environment – just like our lupin products. Carton packs are composed on average up to 75% of wood, a renewable resource. That means they use much less fossil resources, such as oil, than products like PET bottles. In addition, while they’re growing, trees absorb CO2 and give off oxygen. So sustainably managed forests help protect the climate. For this reason, we think lupin drinks and carton packs fit together very well, and consumers find them easier to handle than competing products.”
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