User:Andresw94/sandbox

Ruminants
Although an excessive use of L.albus, or other lupine species, can cause unwanted side-effects, this species seems to be promising to use at least as a feeding supplement. While L. albus is used in Australia to provide sheep fed with low-grade roughage with protein in form of a whole-grain feed supplement, there are concern regarding product quality and safety. This is due to the susceptibility of some lupine cultivars towards Diaporthe toxica. This fungus causes a possibly fatal intoxication with lupine seed, called lupinosis, which appears to be mainly affecting sheep.

While there were no major negative health effects found in cattle, it is proposed that supplementation with L. albus tends to cause a decrease in milk protein concentration and milk protein yield in dairy cows. This has to be kept in mind, when lupine seeds should be used as a substitute for other protein sources in the diet of the ruminant. Nontheless, roasted seeds of L. albus appear to be a good source of rumen protected fatty acids.

Non-Ruminants
As opposed to the advantages in ruminant diets, L. albus should not be considered as an optimal feed for pigs. Research indicated, that a diet based on white lupine results in poorer growth rates due to reduced feed intake, compared with other lupine species, such as L. angustifolius. As experiments showed, the feeding of L. albus can negatively affect the digestibility and the nutrient uptake in piglets.

Although broilers can tolerate a high share of lupine seeds in their diet, an excess use should be avoided, as it causes moist faeces, which negatively affects hygiene and therefore promotes health risks. It has been shown, that L. albus has the potential to partly replace the use of  soybean in poultry production.