• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.58-64
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• 2016

This study was conducted to investigate the health effects of the general components of acorns in animals. In Korea, acorns have been used as food material in the form of acorn starch. Acorns contain tannin, gallic acid, digallic acid, and gallotannin. Therefore, the health effects of acorns as functional food are actively being studied. The chemical composition of acorns may vary according to the harvest time, region, and breed. Acorns have excellent antioxidant properties and might be beneficial in controlling hyperlipidemia, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and dementia, as well as strengthening immune competence. Further study is necessary to better understand the benefits of acorns, as it is expected to represent a large part of the food industry.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.621-631
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to survey and analyze acorn production and characteristics of the Quercus acuta Thunb. according to the need for information on seed supply and seedling cultivation during the restoration of warm broad-leaved forests. For the survey, a total of 30 seed traps with a surface area of 1 m² were set up, 3 in each of 10 quadrats (8 in Wando, 1 in Haenam, and 1 in Jindo). The acorns that fell in the seed trap at the end of each month were collected from August to December each year between 2013 to 2016. The collected acorns were then classified into sound, damaged, decayed, or empty grade, and the number of acorns produced was calculated. In the case of sound acorns, acorn traits, such as length, diameter and weight of acorns without cupule, were measured. Duncan's multiple tests of acorn production and characteristics were conducted for comparative analysis of the annual average values with the values by year, stand, month, and treatment plot. The annual number of acorn dropped into the seed traps in each quadrat from 2013 to 2016 was 5-350 acorns/3 m² in 2013, 17-551 acorns/3 m² in 2014, 5-454 acorns/3 m² in 2015, and 14-705 acorns/3 m² in 2016. There was a large difference in acorn production between the quadrats, presumably attributed to the difference in the amount of light received due to the density of trees in the square. Annual acorn production per area was 335,000 acorns/ha in 2013, 932,000 acorns/ha in 2014, 556,000 acorns/ha in 2015, and 1,037,000 acorns/ha in 2016. That was a sharp variation of acorn production in the two-year cycle. As the fluctuation in the production of Q. acuta showed simultaneity between stands, it is judged that Quercus acuta Thunb. had a clear cycle of fruitfulness and fruitiness between forest objects. September showed the biggest amount of fallen acorns and largest damage from insect pests, indicating that preventing early fall of acorns could increase the fruiting period and enable mass production of sound acorns. There was no significant difference between annual average acorn length in each region. In the case of the acorn diameter and weight, the average values of acorns from Haenam were significantly higher than those from Wando and Jindo. There was no significant difference in the average annual acorn characteristics by month, and the average annual acorn length, diameter, and weight in November were 19.72mm, 12.23mm, and 1.64g, respectively, the highest between August and November.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.286-292
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• 2010

Native oak tree species dominate the deciduous forests of South Korea. Although the acorns of these oak trees represent the main food source for many wildlife species, information pertaining to their nutrient composition and associated seasonal changes is limited. Thus, the objective of this study was to describe the seasonal changes in the acorn nutrient composition of six oak species in terms of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sodium (Na) concentrations, Quercus acutissima, Q. aliena, Q. mongolica, Q. variabilis, Q. dentata, and Q. serrata. The results indicated that N concentrations of Q. aliena acorns were constant, whereas those of Q. dentata changed over the seasons. Those of Q. acutissima acorns were higher in summer and autumn but Q. mongolica acorns were higher in spring and summer. Q. serrata acorns were highest in autumn but Q. variabilis acorns were found to be the lowest in N concentration. P concentrations of acorns of six species tended to decline in the summer but increased in the spring and autumn. Ca and Mg concentrations showed an obvious trend of decline over the seasons for all species except Q. mongolica. Na concentrations of Q. aliena, Q. dentata, and Q. serrata acorns were constant over the seasons whereas those of Q. dentata tended to increase. Q. variabilis acorns were highest in autumn but Q. acutissima acorns were lowest in Na concentration. Overall, these results showed that acorn nutrient composition varies by season, and that the nature of the variability is largely species dependent.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.47-55
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• 2011

This study investigated mineral element concentrations of acorns in Quercus acutissima and Quercus serrata seed orchard, so that to estimate the variation of these species based on the chemical composition in different clones from plus trees. The acorns were collected from ten clones of each species grown in the same clonal seed orchard. The nutritional concentration of acorns was significantly different between the clones and species. The concentration of nutrient for the whole acorn followed in this general sequence: P > K > Na > Mg > Ca > Mn > Fe > Zn > Cu. The mineral concentrations of acorns in clones of Q. acutissima and Q. serrata contained P (494 to 684 and 541 to 672 mg/100 g), K (114 to 569 and 140 to 251 mg/100 g), Na (57 to 121 and 49 to 85 mg/100 g), Mg (29 to 37 and 26 to 42 mg/100 g), Ca (10 to 53 and 26 to 68 mg/100 g), Mn (0.5 to 3.4 and 1.8 to 4.5 mg/100 g), Fe (0.7 to 1.1 and 0.0 to 2.2 mg/100 g), Zn (0.34 to 0.81 and 0.38 to 0.84 mg/100 g), and Cu (0.13 to 0.40 and 0.09 to 0.34 mg/100 g) respectively. Even though acorns of Q. serrata are smaller in size than Q. acutissima, acorns of Q. serrata contained significantly higher concentration of phosphorus, calcium, iron and manganese than Q. acutissima. Based on the mineral composition of the acorns, this study has shown that the clones of Q. acutissima and Q. serrata have different ability to accumulate mineral nutrients which could indicate the variation of Quercus species in terms of mineral acquisition and accumulation.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.258-267
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• 1973

Chemical analysis and enzymatic hydrolysis of certain Korean acorns were performed in order to make use of the local acorns. Exclusion of tannin from acorns is aided in the processing. Studies of these were undertaken and the results obtained are summarized as follows; 1. Several Korean acorns were used to analyze their proximate composition, tannin and major inorganic principles. The content of acorn tannin was found to be 6.5 to 7.5%. 2. An Attempt was made to screen suitable strains in order to make acorn-tannin-hydrolyzing enzyme accumulated in the culture broth, and Aspergillus flavus and Asp. sp. AN-11, which showed in their culture broths, were obtained from the contaminated acorns. 3. Cultural measures for the strains of Aspergillus flavus and Asp. sp. AN-11 for an improved tannase production and optimal conditions were determined.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.440-446
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• 2019

This study examined the growth and fruiting characteristics and the acorns biomass allometric equation of Quercus acuta to provide reference data related to the growth and seed supply during the restoration of evergreen forest in the warm temperate zone in Wando Island, Korea. For the growth survey, we selected and cut three sample trees having a mean diameter at breast height (DBH) to investigate the growth analysis through a stem analysis. We then developed the allometric equation (Y=aX+b) of DBH and tree height growth characteristic (Y) according to the average tree age (X) of sampled trees and estimated the DBH and tree height according to the age of Quercus acuta. For the fruiting survey, we selected and cut three sample trees with full fruit in August when, they are at the early mature fruiting stage, for the analysis. To develop the acorns/tree biomass allometric equation of Quercus acuta, we selected and cut ten sample trees of evenly divided diameters. The acorns biomass allometric equation ($Y=aX^b$) was derived by analyzing the biomass (Y) and the growth characteristics (X), such as the DBH, tree height, crown width, and crown height. The allometric equations of average tree age according to DBH and tree height were Y=0506X-2.064 ($R^2=0.999$) and Y=0.321X+0689 ($R^2=0.992$), respectively. The developed allometric equations estimated that the DBH were 3.0cm, 8.1cm, 13.1cm and 18.2cm while the tree heights were 3.9m, 7.1m, 10.3m, and 13.5m when the tree ages were 10, 20, 30, and 40 years, respectively. The analysis results of fruiting characteristics showed that the length, the diameter, the number of fruits, and the number of acorns per fruiting branch had the statistically significant difference and tended to decrease from the upper part to the lower part of crown downward. The total number of acorns was 1,312 acorns/tree in the upper part, 115 acorns/tree in the middle part, and 5 acorns/tree in the lower part of the crown. The allometric equation for the amount of acorns with DBH as an independent variable was $Y=0.003X^{4.260}$ with the coefficient of determination at 0.896. Although the coefficient of determination of the allometric equation using only DBH as the independent variable was lower than that using DBH and tree height ($D^2H$), it would be more practical to consider only DBH as the independent variable because of measurement errors.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.355-361
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• 1999

Distribution of size class, population regeneration and changes in the population structure of Quercus mongolica were studied from 1994 to 1999 in Mt. Jumbong (128°27' E, 38° 04' N) of Mt. Sorak National Park and Biosphere Reserve in central Korea. Three 20m × 20m permanent quadrats were set up at the elevation of 900m. The vegetation of the study site was dominated by Quercus mongolica and Acer pseudosieboldianum, but little change was observed in the community structure from 1995 to 1999. Most mortality in the study site was observed in small trees of A. pseudosieboldianum and Tilia amurensis. Mean annual growth in dbh (diameter of breast height) of Q. mongolica for 4 years was only 0.09cm, and no ingrowth of saplings (dbh < 2.5cm) into tree class was observed during the study period. Among the 21 Q. mongolica trees studied in the permanent quadrats. all the smaller trees (dbh < 30cm) were established in 1920 ∼ 1950, while many bigger trees (with 40cm < dbh < 80cm) were established in 1750 ∼ 1800, indicating that its establishment was episodic. Distribution of dbh classes among Q. mongolica trees shows that smaller trees were poorly represented, and no saplings of Q. mongolica occurred in the permanent quadrats studied, indicating that currently Q. mongolica is not regenerating well in the study site. Total seed production of Q. mongolica in 1994 was estimated as 88 acorns per square meter in the study site. Rate of predation including caching of acorns was highest in 1994, then declined sharply thereafter. Most of the acorns which managed to survive in the first year were predated in the second year, and only 5% of the acorns produced in 1994 survived into the third year. No seeds produced in 1994 or seedlings germinated from them succeeded to survive to 5 years after seed production. However, seedling emergence rate and seedling survival were high in the early growing season in 1995. These results suggest that predation can be a significant factor in the regeneration of Q. mongolica. and that Q. mongolica is not regenerating well in Mt. Jumbong and needs large scale disturbances for its new recruitment.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.148-155
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• 2017

This study aimed to investigate the effect of acorn powder and starch on the blood parameters of mice fed a high-fat diet. The moisture, crude ash, crude protein, and crude fat contents of acorns were $37.99{\pm}0.37%$, $1.61{\pm}0.06%$, $4.36{\pm}0.18%$ and $3.22{\pm}0.15%$, respectively. Acorn powder and starch contains antioxidant minerals such as selenium and zinc. The iron content was significantly higher in acorn powder than in acorn starch (p<0.05). The total cholesterol concentration was $148.50{\pm}29.72mg/dL$ in the high-fat starch diet (HFS) group, while in the high-fat diet (HF) group it was $201.50{\pm}39.15mg/dL$ (p<0.05). Serum LDL-cholesterol concentrations were significantly lower in the HFS group ($50.50{\pm}10.79mg/dL$) than in the HF group ($62.00{\pm}20.85mg/dL$; p<0.05). The serum $IL-1{\beta}$ levels in mice were not significantly different between the groups. IL-10 levels were higher in the HFP group than other groups. There is a need for strong recognition that acorns are good ingredients worldwide. It is required to develop various products using acorn powder and starch powder. There is also a need for a strategy to globalize food using acorns.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 1975

Studies on the elimination of tannin from the acorns containing tannin up to 9%, for the utilization of the acorns in Korea, carried out as follows: 1. The strain of Asp. niger sp. which yield the reasonable enzymatic activity of tannase was isolated from the rotten acorns. 2. The method of hydrolyzing tannin in the water by suspending, and agitatiag the acorn powder: followed by decantation, showed the best result aomng the conventional methods in the efficiency of removal of tannin and in the economy of the process by reducing the tannin content to 0.18％ in 24 hours. 3. It was notable that the acorn'powder from which the tannin was eliminated contains various essential amino acids in relatively ample a mount.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.279-285
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• 2014

Nutritional composition, including total phenolics, tannins and nutrient components, of acorns of Q. actissima, Q. serrata, Q. variabilis and Q. mongolica were analyzed. Acorns were collected from each tree species, which were grown in a seed orchard. Contents of both total phenolics and tannins in acorns of Q. serrata were higher than those of Q. actissima (p<0.05). Interestingly, Q. serrata contained the highest amount of water soluble tannins (71 mg/g dw) and the lowest levels of water insoluble tannins (8.1 mg/g dw) among 4 oak species, resulting that acorns of Q. serrata had the lowest proportion of insoluble tannins. Among 4 oak species tested, Q. mongolicav acorns contained the highest levels of both total dietary fiber (TDF) and ascorbic acid, while the content of beta-carotene in Q. mongolicav was 52-fold lower than that in Q. variabilis ($520{\mu}g/100g$). Our result showed that nutritional composition of acoms was significantly different between oak species, indicating that tastes or nutritional values might be different as well among major oak species in Korea.