日本語版

quinolizidine alkaloids

compound class / compound-class-quinolizidine-alkaloids

キノリジジンアルカロイド

Quinolizidine alkaloids: a group of bitter alkaloids in legume plants such as Lupinus (including lupanine, sparteine, etc.). Total QA content serves as the standard for distinguishing bitter-tasting and sweet-tasting varieties.

Photographs (captions in Japanese)

楕円形で黄白色の豆が並んだ標本写真

白花ルピナス(Lupinus albus)の種子標本。ルパニン・スパルテインなどのキノリジジンアルカロイド群の代表的な給源であるマメ科ルピナス属の種子の写真。

原料写っているもの: Lupinus albus(白花ルピナス)部位・状態: 種子の標本

写真: Roger Culos/ CC BY-SA 4.0/ 原画像/ 台帳の原画像

写真の範囲と来歴

被写体の確認: 原典の記載による同定。化合物そのものの写真ではなく給源植物の種子。

掲載画像: Wikimedia Commons の原寸ファイルを sips で長辺2400pxに縮小。苦味研究所では切り抜き・色調変更なし(リサイズのみ)。 表示用には幅1200px上限のWebPを配信し、台帳の原画像は上のリンクから確認できます。

On this page (10 sections)
  1. Overview
  2. Sources for this overview (1)
  3. Topic hubs
  4. Follow the connections
  5. Related entries (5)
  6. Measured values (1)
  7. Composition and content (1)
  8. Sensory (1)
  9. How processing and cooking change it (1)
  10. Safety and regulation (1)
↑

Reading the bitterness

Quinolizidine alkaloids are a group of bitter alkaloids contained in legume plants such as Lupinus seeds. Wild Lupinus is described as containing these bitter alkaloids in high amounts, and the very standard for distinguishing cultivated 「苦味品種」(bitter-tasting varieties) and 「甘味品種」(sweet-tasting varieties) is determined by total alkaloid content in seeds. Bitter-tasting varieties exceed 10,000 mg per 1 kilogram, and sweet-tasting varieties are described as below 500 mg per 1 kilogram. For Lupinus mutabilis, a report exists of total alkaloid content of 31,000 mg per 1 kilogram; however, only 1 paper reported this value, and it cannot be said to represent the species as a whole.

From this concern regarding toxicological effects, the scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that available data were insufficient to set health-based guidance values for quinolizidine alkaloids. Accordingly, instead of presenting a fixed daily intake limit, a margin of exposure approach is used, which evaluates the safety margin between exposure and toxicological effects. This is a summary of a regulatory conclusion and is not health advice from this encyclopedia.

Sources for this overview

  1. Scientific opinion on the risks for animal and human health related to the presence of quinolizidine alkaloids in feed and food, in particular in lupins and lupin-derived products

    EFSA CONTAM Panel; Schrenk D; ほか / 2019 / government document / full text checked

    Checked for this overview: Bitter-tasting varieties >10,000 mg/kg and sweet-tasting varieties <500 mg/kg classification, and single report of L. mutabilis at 31,000 mg/kg. / Description that wild Lupinus contains high concentrations of bitter alkaloids. / Conclusion that data were insufficient for HBGV setting and the margin of exposure approach was adopted.

Follow the connections

Andean lupin →contains→ quinolizidine alkaloids

quinolizidine alkaloids →— sensory attribute→ bitterness →can be measured separately …→ astringency

lupin debittering →reduces→ quinolizidine alkaloids

Measured values (1)

KindCompoundTargetValueConditionsSource
concentrationquinolizidine alkaloidsAndean lupin31000 mg/kgLupinus mutabilis seeds (variety not stated). (EFSA explicitly states that there is only one report of total QA.)EFSA CONTAM Panel, 2019

Values are the reported values of each source (with units and conditions). Thresholds and EC50 depend on the panel and method; they are not single true values.

Structured claims — open a section to read each claim's confidence, evidence and limits

Composition and content (1)

Andean lupin contains quinolizidine alkaloidssupported

Scope: Seeds

Note: The total QA figure of 31,000 mg/kg for L. mutabilis is a single report (EFSA states explicitly: "Only one paper reporting the total amount of QAs was identified").

States the distinction of sweet cultivars <500 mg/kg and bitter cultivars >10,000 mg/kg. Total QA for L. mutabilis is 31,000 mg/kg ("Only one paper reporting the total amount of QAs was identified").
Limitations: The total QA figure for L. mutabilis is a single report.
"Lupins contain bitter alkaloids."
Limitations: Abstract level only.
Source: Lupinus mutabilis: Composition, Uses, Toxicology, and Debittering (Carvajal-Larenas FE; Linnemann AR; Nout MJR; Koziol M; van Boekel MAJS, 2016) · full text checked
Show dataorganism-lupinus-mutabilis —contains→ compound-class-quinolizidine-alkaloids
claim: clm-lupin-qa-content / type: composition / updated: 2026-08-31

Sensory (1)

quinolizidine alkaloids — sensory attribute: bitternesssupported

Scope: EFSA description of wild Lupinus seeds (bitter tasting QAs).

"Wild lupin species contain high amounts of the bitter tasting QAs".
Limitations: The cited passage on human sensory testing has not been confirmed.
Show datacompound-class-quinolizidine-alkaloids —has_sensory_attribute→ sensation-bitter
claim: clm-qa-bitter / type: sensory / updated: 2026-08-31

How processing and cooking change it (1)

lupin debittering reduces quinolizidine alkaloidspreliminary

Scope: Layer: Food. Lupinus albus seeds, comparative treatment experiment with control (water, NaCl solution) and experimental groups (0.5%, 1% NaCl or citric acid solutions, with and without ultrasound). Taste profile measurement by electronic tongue.

"the sodium chloride and citric acid solutions significantly shortened debittering time, reduced water consumption and decreased alkaloid content to commercial values (0.31-1.03 g/kg dry matter). Debittering with a 1% citric acid solution saved 88 h and 65 L water/kg dry lupin compared to the water control method... The electronic tongue grouped the experimental and commercial samples in well-defined clusters; bitter and umami tastes were the main factors, well correlated with alkaloid content."
Limitations: Confirmation is limited to the abstract stage; specific electronic tongue response values and detailed statistical test results have not been confirmed.
Source: Alkaloid Content and Taste Profile Assessed by Electronic Tongue of Lupinus albus Seeds Debittered by Different Methods (Estivi L; Buratti S; Fusi D; Benedetti S; Rodriguez G; Brandolini A; Hidalgo A, 2022) · abstract checked
Show dataprocess-lupin-debittering —reduces→ compound-class-quinolizidine-alkaloids
claim: clm-w71c1-lupin-citric-acid-debittering / type: processing / updated: 2026-09-07

Safety and regulation (1)

quinolizidine alkaloidsSetting of health-based guidance values (HBGV). EFSA 2019 instead adopted the margin of exposure (MOE) approach. has insufficient evidence for: contextual

Scope: Conclusion of EFSA CONTAM panel.

"The available data were considered insufficient to propose health-based guidance values (HBGVs)". MOE approach adopted.
Show datacompound-class-quinolizidine-alkaloids —has_insufficient_evidence_for→ "Setting of health-based guidance values (HBGV). EFSA 2019 instead adopted the margin of exposure (MOE) approach."
claim: clm-qa-no-hbgv / type: regulatory / updated: 2026-08-31

↑ Top of page · ← Encyclopedia (English entries)