Acorns
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1,619 kJ (387 kcal) |
|
40.75 g
|
|
|
23.85 g
|
|
| Saturated | 3.102 g |
| Monounsaturated | 15.109 g |
| Polyunsaturated | 4.596 g |
|
6.15 g
|
|
| Tryptophan | 0.074 g |
| Threonine | 0.236 g |
| Isoleucine | 0.285 g |
| Leucine | 0.489 g |
| Lysine | 0.384 g |
| Methionine | 0.103 g |
| Cystine | 0.109 g |
| Phenylalanine | 0.269 g |
| Tyrosine | 0.187 g |
| Valine | 0.345 g |
| Arginine | 0.473 g |
| Histidine | 0.170 g |
| Alanine | 0.350 g |
| Aspartic acid | 0.635 g |
| Glutamic acid | 0.986 g |
| Glycine | 0.285 g |
| Proline | 0.246 g |
| Serine | 0.261 g |
| Vitamins | |
| Vitamin A equiv. |
(0%)
2 μg |
| Thiamine (B1) |
(10%)
0.112 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) |
(10%)
0.118 mg |
| Niacin (B3) |
(12%)
1.827 mg |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) |
(14%)
0.715 mg |
| Vitamin B6 |
(41%)
0.528 mg |
| Folate (B9) |
(22%)
87 μg |
| Vitamin B12 |
(0%)
0.00 μg |
| Vitamin C |
(0%)
0.0 mg |
| Minerals | |
| Calcium |
(4%)
41 mg |
| Iron |
(6%)
0.79 mg |
| Magnesium |
(17%)
62 mg |
| Manganese |
(64%)
1.337 mg |
| Phosphorus |
(11%)
79 mg |
| Potassium |
(11%)
539 mg |
| Sodium |
(0%)
0 mg |
| Zinc |
(5%)
0.51 mg |
| Other constituents | |
| Water | 27.9 g |
|
|
|
|
|
| Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database |
|
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera Quercus and Lithocarpus, in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains a single seed (occasionally two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns are 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad. Acorns take between 6 and 24 months (depending on the species) to mature; see List of Quercus species for details of oak classification, in which acorn morphology and phenology are important factors.
Acorns play an important role in forest ecology when oaks are the dominant species or are plentiful. The volume of the acorn crop may vary wildly, creating great abundance or great stress on the many animals dependent on acorns and the predators of those animals. Acorns, along with other nuts, are termed mast.
Wildlife that consume acorns as an important part of their diets includes birds, such as jays, pigeons, some ducks, and several species of woodpeckers. Small mammals that feed on acorns include mice, squirrels and several other rodents.
Large mammals such as pigs, bears, and deer also consume large amounts of acorns; they may constitute up to 25% of the diet of deer in the autumn. In Spain, Portugal and the New Forest region of southern England, pigs are still turned loose in dehesas (large oak groves) in the autumn, to fill and fatten themselves on acorns. Heavy consumption of acorns can, on the other hand, be toxic to other animals that cannot detoxify their tannins, such as horses and cattle.
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Wikipedia