Bioactive Phytochemicals from Acorn (Quercus spp.) Oil Processing By-products

Nowadays, there has been an increasing interest in acorn and acorn products as they can be used in various products. Its possibilities as a novel food additive, however, have yet to be extensively explored. In this chapter, acorn oil and its by-products are explained in detail. Acorn oil is traditionally consumed because the oil is rich in phenolic compounds, sterols, and other minor bioactive compounds. Although boiling was the primary and traditional oil extraction method for acorn oil production, today, supercritical fluid extraction promises great potential for high-quality acorn oil. By-products of the acorn are also rich in phytochemicals that have significant antioxidative value. The nutritive quality of acorn oil production by-products is better when green extraction techniques are used. Besides using the shell and the cup of acorn nut as a nutrient source, these acorn oil by-products can be used as adsorbents or charcoal. More research should be conducted on producing and recovering better quality by-products.