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Abstract
Acorns have had a role in human diet where ever oak trees have grown. A method was developed to prepare acorn meal for testing physiochemical properties and use as wheat flour replacement in foods. Spice cookies and pumpkin muffins where made from the acorn meal. Total phenolics of acorn meals range from about 39 mg GAE/g in red oak acorns to 6.6 mg GAE/g in white oak acorn. Red oak acorn meal was best suited for replacing all-purpose wheat flour. 50% replacement was performed for the cookies. Acorn meal cookies had some differences in texture, appearance, and flavor, but a consumer sensory panel (n=128) found the cookies to be overall acceptable. 25% replacement of wheat flour in muffins had no effect or a beneficial effect on most instrumental tests associated with organoleptic properties. Panelists expressed interest in cookies that carried an antioxidant claim.