Europe has become heavily dependent on soya bean imports, entailing trade agreements and quality standards that do not satisfy the European citizen’s expectations. White, yellow, and narrow-leafed lupins are native European legumes that can become true alternatives to soya bean, given their elevated and high-quality protein content, potential health benefits, suitability for sustainable production, and acceptability to consumers. Nevertheless, lupin cultivation in Europe remains largely insufficient to guarantee a steady supply to the food industry, which in turn must innovate to produce attractive lupin-based protein-rich foods. Here, we address different aspects of the food supply chain that should be considered for lupin exploitation as a high-value protein source. Advanced breeding techniques are needed to provide new lupin varieties for socio-economically and environmentally sustainable cultivation. Novel processes should be optimized to obtain high-quality, safe lupin protein ingredients, and marketable foods need to be developed and offered to consumers. With such an integrated strategy, lupins can be established as an alternative protein crop, capable of promoting socio-economic growth and environmental benefits in Europe.

The effect of liquid (LSF) and solid state fermentation (SSF) of lentils for production of water-soluble fractions with antioxidant and antihypertensive properties was studied. LSF was performed either spontaneously (NF) or by Lactobacillus plantarum (LP) while SSF was performed by Bacillus subtilis (BS). Native lactic flora in NF adapted better than L. plantarum to fermentative broth and BS counts increased 4.0 logCFU/g up to 48 h of SSF. LSF water-soluble fractions had higher (P ≤ 0.05) free amino groups, GABA content, antioxidant and angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory (ACEI) activities than SSF. In addition, GABA and ACEI activity of LSF increased in a time-dependent manner. Proteolysis by BS was limited, with slight changes in free amino groups, while GABA, total phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity increased throughout fermentation. Higher antihypertensive potential was observed in NF (96 h) characterised by the highest GABA content (10.42 mg/g extract), ACE-inhibitory potency (expressed as IC(50)) of 0.18 mg protein/ml and antioxidant capacity of 0.26 mmol Trolox equivalents/g extract. Therefore, water-soluble fermented lentil extracts obtained by LSF are particularly promising as functional ingredients in preventing hypertension.

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Grain legumes are widely recognized as staple sources of dietary protein worldwide. Lentil seeds are an excellent source of plant-based proteins and represent a viable alternative to animal and soybean proteins for food processing formulations. Lentil proteins provide not only dietary amino acids but are also a source of bioactive peptides that provide health benefits. This review focuses on the current knowledge of seed protein, extraction and isolation methods, bioactive peptides, and food applications of lentil protein. Lentil is the most rapidly expanding crop for direct human consumption, and has potential for greater impact as a protein source for food processing applications. Improvements in lentil protein quality, amino acid composition, and processing fractions will enhance the nutritional quality of this rapidly expanding crop globally.