Alkaloids
White lupins contain bitter quinolizidine alkaloids in variable amounts, from 120 mg/kg to more than 30,000 mg/kg DM. The alkaloid content was reported to raise concern in piglets over a dietary content of 20 mg/kg in Australia and over 120 mg/kg in Poland. Early varieties were rich in alkaloid and not recommended for animal feeding unless they were detoxified by soaking in water. Modern sweet varieties contain less than 200 mg/kg, have a smaller growth and are palatable to stock (Godfrey et al., 1985; Buraczewska et al., 1993).
Oligosaccharides
White lupin seeds contain from 7 to 14% α-galactosides, of which the most important is stachyose (2.8%), followed by saccharose (1.8%), raffinose (0.4%), and verbascose (0.3%) (Zdunczyk et al., 1996; Saini, 1989). The level of oligosaccharides depends on the variety and on conditions of cultivation and harvest (Pisarikova et al., 2009). α-galactosides may have deleterious effects on animal health (causing flatulence), feed intake and growth performance (Cherrière et al., 2003).