Determination of total phenolics in acorns from different species of oak trees in conjunction with acorn poisoning in cattle.

Although acorn poisoning is more commonly seen in cattle as a susceptible animal species, several other factors such as species of acorns also have a distinct bearing on the degree of acorn toxicity. In this study, 3 species of acorns (Quercus alba, Q velutina and Q rubera) were analyzed for their total phenolic contents. Q velutina was found to have the highest level of total phenolics and Q alba the lowest among the 3 species. The total phenolic content in Q rubera was slightly lower than that of Q velutina but markedly higher than that of Q alba. The data suggest that when evaluating a pasture on the likelihood of acorn toxicity, one containing mainly Q alba may be safer than Q velutina and Q rubera.