Go nuts! The sustainable use of by-products from forestry 

The sustainable use of by-products from forestry can lead to the development of new value chains and business models which are tailored to the needs of producers and rural areas. This provides a diversified income, adds value to products, and delivers better resource efficiency. The Polish Acorn project, an Operational Group, harvests acorns from a natural forest, Jarocin Forest District in Poland, that were initially not harvested. During the project, which started in 2014, the partners have developed and implemented a technology for using acorns as a basis for meat-free alternative products. With this technology, an innovative vegan ingredient based on the bitter mass of acorns is obtained and effectively preserved.  

The project was initiated by Jarosław Żytowicz, an entrepreneur looking for innovative possibilities for producing ready-made vegan meals. In recent years, there has been a growing demand for vegan products, and the range of these products is expanding. Alternative raw materials are being introduced to the market, meaning vegan product producers can offer consumers a more diversified choice.

The partners from the Operational Group wanted to use acorns as a food ingredient and therefore developed a method based on vacuum pressure. The mass obtained from acorns is decomposed using vacuum infusion. Thanks to the starch contained within the acorns, the processed acorn mass is a natural technological additive with stabilising and thickening properties when used in vegan products.

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