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Project Topic
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The acorns are gluten-free and highly nutritious, rich in starch, fibres, and lipids and are the most abundant nut produced by the Mediterranean endemic forests. Despite historically consumed by several cultures around the Mediterranean basin, nowadays its use as food for humans is restricted to some regional dishes. The tannin-rich content of some species, the annual productivity variation, and the incipient value chain have impaired their adoption by the agro-food industry. Based on a Mediterranean-wide consortium, including partners from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Turkey, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, with extensive experience in the agro-food sector, management of agro-forestry systems, technological development, toxicology, microbiology, biomedicine, market analysis and strategic communication, MEDACORNET aims at rescuing acorns as a healthy traditional Mediterranean cuisine ingredient through the: i) evaluation of the socioeconomic impact of acorn food adoption; ii) rescue of traditional/historical uses of acorns for human consumption; iii) evaluation of the nutritional profile of acorns from the most relevant Mediterranean-native Quercus sp. species; iv) evaluation of health benefits such as prebiotic and antioxidant effects of acorns; v) design of a pilot line to sustainably transform acorn into edible flour; vi) implementation of a digital marketplace to bridge acorn producers and the market; vii) development of novel acorn-based gluten-free food; viii) assessment of consumers feedback on acorn flour development and prototyped food products, ix) exploration of the residues from the acorn transformation to improve the sustainability of the process; x) development of a strong communication strategy to foster the adoption of acorns and to inform the potential consumers about sustainable and healthy habits of the Mediterranean diet. Thus, the MEDACORNET consortium will deliver scientific, technical, and socioeconomic knowledge centred in the consumer to foster the establishment of a sustainable value chain for the acorns in the agro-food industry, providing healthy, safe, and sustainable food products.
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