20.500.12556/DiRROS-27967 From bitter toxins to bioactive assets: redefining quinolizidine alkaloids in Lupinus spp. Lupins (Lupinus spp.) are climate-resistant grain legumes gaining attention as sustainable protein sources. However, their use in the human diet is limited by quinolizidine alkaloids (QAs), a class of nitrogenous secondary metabolites. QAs represent a nutritional paradox: They are central to plant defence mechanisms, yet confer toxicity and bitterness that compromise food safety and consumer acceptance. Recent findings suggest that at sub-toxic concentrations, certain QAs may exert bioactivities that could be important for metabolic regulation. Thus, the sustainable integration of lupins into food systems depends on whether QAs are considered as undesirable contaminants or redefined as bioactive phytochemicals with dose-dependent functional potential. Significant methodological progress has been made over the last five years. Advances in high-resolution techniques and metabolomics have expanded the structural catalogue of QAs, facilitated species- and genotype-specific chemotyping and allowed first conclusions on biosynthesis. At the technological level, novel processing methods have improved the efficiency of QA removal while maintaining protein quality and, in some cases, have enabled the selective extraction of alkaloids for potential valorisation. This review critically synthesises recent advances in QA chemistry, biosynthesis, analytical methodologies, toxicology, processing strategies and emerging bioactivities. Despite this progress, major challenges remain, including the lack of standardised analytical protocols, insufficiently defined sensory thresholds, fragmented regulatory frameworks and the absence of clinical validation. Future research should shift from exclusive alkaloid elimination towards controlled modulation and selective valorisation to establish lupins as safe, multifunctional crops contributing to food security, human health and sustainable agriculture. Lupinus quinolizidine alkalois food safety analytical methods detoxification functional bioactivity volčji bob lupina varna hrana alkaloidi detoksifikacija stročnice vir beljakovin true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Neznano 2026-03-03 15:20:59 2026-03-03 15:21:00 2026-03-04 03:44:48 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Opis vira z dne 26. 2. 2026; str. 1-14 Vol. 231 Feb. 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-02-19 633 1873-7145 10.1016/j.foodres.2026.118750 269087747 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996926004266?via%3Dihub#ab0005 1 3593200f-170c-11f1-8c73-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=41213 RAZ_Ben_Ammar_Hajer_2026.pdf RAZ_Ben_Ammar_Hajer_2026.pdf 1 6C0865DBC36FAF9CCE35EFDDE7A9E557 c0f30e795b1a68d317053fc6e6c56fb74df0dde48a49c1be764842b279bf25ff 4e08039e-170c-11f1-8c73-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=41214 Kmetijski inštitut Slovenije 0 0 0