New Home-Grown Sweet Treat with Less Guilt

April 20th, 2009 - Media Statement

This month a Western Australian exclusive will be added to supermarket shelves - a low fat and sugar, high protein and fibre choc-chip biscuit, offering shoppers a sweet treat with less guilt.

Created by researchers at Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR's) Centre for Food and Genomic Medicine (CFGM) and produced by Fremantle's Bodhi's Bakehouse, the biscuit is the newest lupin-flour food to hit the market.

CFGM researcher, Associate Professor Vijay Jayasena of Food Science and Technology at Curtin University of Technology, said the lupin enriched biscuits had twice the protein and four times the fibre of similar products.

"We already know lupin-flour foods can help people feel fuller for longer and curb calorie intake thanks to the legume's high protein and fibre content, so with the help of manufacturers like Bodhi's Bakehouse we're creating a line of foods that offer lupin benefits, and choc-chip biscuits are the latest addition," he said.

"It's a real exclusive for Perth to be able to try these novel biscuits, because we're leading the way to creating a healthier future - these biscuits and other products like lupin pasta and noodles now in the pipeline, are set to become foods of the future that could help keep obesity and related health complications at bay."

"The best thing about the choc-chip cookies is that lovers of snack foods can continue to enjoy the same type of foods they always liked, but with a potentially healthier outcome."

"As part of our research into creating this great snack, we asked a group of people to taste-test the biscuits and we found more than 70 per cent of them said they would add this to their shopping trolleys, and that children and teenagers will eat these biscuits without hesitation!"

Owner of Bodhi's Bakehouse Arman Ghodrati said the cookies were made from ground lupin-seed flour baked with cocoa and biscuit flour.

"The biscuits will be sold both individually and in trays and will be available from IGA stores and selected health food stores at the end of April," he said.

In 2007 Bodhi's Bakehouse released their Slimmer's Choice line of lupin-based breads which was created by the CFGM team.

CFGM Director Professor Peter Leedman said the release of the biscuit was a fantastic opportunity for West Australians to take advantage of the innovative ways to combat the obesity epidemic.

"As one of the world's biggest producers of Australian sweet lupins, WA has a unique opportunity to lead the way in utilising the crop to help people improve their diet and health, so I hope everyone will get behind this local success and try a pack of the biscuits," he said.

For more information please contact:
Sarah Hayward
Media Consultant for the WA Institute for Medical Research
Mobile: 0411 404 415
Office: (08) 9388 9280