Quinolizidine alkaloids (CA) are alkaloids produced mainly in lupins from lysine in the green tissue of the plant and stored in all plant parts, including seeds. These secondary metabolites of the plant serve it as defense against pathogens and as protection against feeding. There are over 170 known quinolizidine alkaloids in a wide variety of lupine species. Depending on botanical and geographical origin, soil composition and climate, the levels of quinolizidine alkaloids vary. These alkaloids can cause poisoning in humans with symptoms ranging from dizziness, confusion, palpitations, nausea, dry mouth, and loss of motor control to cardiac arrest and respiratory paralysis.

Quinolizidine alkaloids such as lupanine, lupinine and sparteine are mainly found in lupins. Lupins are used as animal feed and green manure as well as food and ornamental plants.

Lupin seeds can be categorised into bitter lupin seeds (high content) and sweet lupin seeds (low content) based on their alkaloid content. Sweet lupins are mainly used as food and animal feed, as their alkaloid content has been reduced by breeding. The wild forms, known as bitter lupins, contain high levels of quinolizidine alkaloids. Technical debittering is possible through pre-treatment, but there is a risk that lupins are insufficiently debittered and can therefore still lead to poisoning.

In recent years, lupins have become increasingly popular in vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets due to their high protein content. For example, the following lupin products are available: lupins in meat substitutes, in milk substitutes (e.g. ice cream, yoghurt...), spreads, baked goods, pasta, drinks, coffee substitutes and snacks (e.g. tremoços) and lupin flour.

In Austria, the narrow-leaved or blue lupin(Lupinus angustifolius) and the white lupin(Lupinus albus) are used agriculturally. Legumes live in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing root nodule bacteria and thus improve soil quality through nitrogen fixation, which is why lupins are also used as green manure.

Interest in native fodder plants has increased in recent years and lupins are therefore also increasingly being used as animal feed.

Lupin seed poisoning is not a common occurrence, but nevertheless poses a serious risk to the people affected. There are few documented reports of cases of poisoning with lupin seeds, although children are more likely to be affected than adults. The most serious documented cases of poisoning date back to the 1970s: three children aged 10 years, 1.5 years and 17 months died after eating lupin seeds. The alkaloid dose in these cases of poisoning was in the range of 11 - 25 mg/kg body weight. It is currently assumed that doses of 10 mg lupin alkaloids per kilogramme of body weight or more could have fatal consequences. There are no known cases of poisoning due to the consumption of industrially produced lupin products (BfR, 2017, EFSA, 2019).

Lupins and lupin products can be found in the group of allergens requiring labelling. They must therefore be declared as an ingredient in food on the food labelling and also in unpackaged food ("loose goods") (Regulation (EU) 1169/2011) (BfR, 2025).

There are currently no maximum levels for quinolizidine alkaloids in food.

We are investigating quinolizidine alkaloids in various foods: Focus action quinolizidine alkaloids in products containing lupine - Monitoring.

• Pay attention to the bitter taste of lupine seeds, this is an indication of the undesirable alkaloids.
• Do not consume the bitter tasting soaking water of lupine seeds or use it for food preparation, but drain and rinse the lupines with fresh water.
• Use industrially produced lupine products, as alkaloid-poor varieties such as sweet lupines are used for this purpose.
• Refrain from using debittered bitter lupin seeds as a precaution. The debittering process may not be sufficient to reduce the undesirable alkaloids

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a scientific opinion regarding CA in feed and food in 2019. Due to a lack of information regarding the intake level of lupin alkaloids at which no adverse effects occur, EFSA could not derive a safe dose for consumption. Therefore, the margin of exposure approach was chosen for a risk assessment. According to the derivation of EFSA, acute pharmacological (antiarrhythmic) effects occur from 0.16 mg sparteine /kg body weight. Consequently, EFSA concludes that the intake of lower amounts than 0.16 mg/kg body weight of lupine alkaloids do not indicate any health concern.

Regarding chronic intake, no health-based guidance value could be derived either due to lack of data (EFSA, 2019).