(TA-nin) A type of chemical found in plants and in certain foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, wine, and tea. Tannins have antioxidant properties and may promote good health. They are being studied in the prevention of cancer, heart disease, and other diseases.

Tannin is a polyphenol compound present in vascular plants with molecular weight ranging from 500 to 3000 kDa. Tannins are characterized, by their ability to form strong complex with different minerals and macromolecules such as protein, cellulose, starch, and among other.

Extraction Sources of Plant Tannin Complex tannins and condensed tannins are the most common and easy to extract from legumes, trees and shrubs; Gallic tannins are commonly found in gallnuts, lacquer leaves and cotinus leaves, while ellagic tannins are commonly found in oaks, blackberries and pomegranates.

In addition to tanning leather, tannins are used in photography, as mordants in dyeing, clarifying wine and beer by precipitating proteins out of them, and as astringents in medicine. Tannins are found commonly in the bark of trees, wood, leaves, buds, stems, fruits, seeds, roots, and plant galls.