Lupin as an Alternative Source of Protein for Plant‐Based Foods—A Review

Lupin, an underutilized legume belonging to the Fabaceae family, demonstrates a huge potential as an alternative protein source by contributing to food security and environmental resilience in the face of climate change. This work highlights the potential of lupin protein as a preferred substitute for soy protein in plant‐based food applications. A critical assessment of the protein extraction methods for lupin and their influence on the physicochemical and nutritional properties of the extracted lupin protein was determined. Furthermore, the structural and physicochemical properties of lupin proteins compared to those of soybean were examined. Despite its high protein content and excellent amino acid profile, the poor functional properties of lupin protein in comparison to soy posed a major limitation for its use in food formulations. Based on this observation, the effect of novel and non‐thermal processing on lupin protein was further determined. Findings revealed increasing utilization of lupin protein for novel foods, but limited success in the adoption of lupin protein in the mainstream plant protein sector, attributed largely to the presence of anti‐nutritional factors, allergens, and inferior organoleptic qualities. Therefore, by offering process‐induced improvement of the functional properties, a wider application of lupin protein in food products could address the protein diversity challenge.