Eur. J. Lipid Sci. Technol.

109 (2007) 549551

DOI 10.1002/ejlt.200700145

Editorial

549

Tannins: the new natural antioxidants?

According to the definition of Bate-Smith and Swain, tannins are water-soluble phenolic
compounds having molecular weights between 500 and 3000; besides giving the usual
phenolic reactions, they possess special properties such as the ability to precipitate alkaloids, gelatin and other proteins [1]. Tannins can contribute an astringent or bitter taste to
foods and beverages (e.g., some red wines, teas, and unripe fruits). The sensation apparently results from the interaction between tannin constituents and proteins of the saliva
and/or the mucous tissue of the mouth.

Tannins are defined as antinutrients of plant origin because they can precipitate proteins,
inhibit digestive enzymes, and decrease the utilization of vitamins and minerals. On the
other hand, tannins have also been considered health-promoting components in plantderived foods and beverages. For instance, tannins have been reported to possess
anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic potentials as well as antimicrobial properties. Several
studies have reported on the antioxidant and antiradical activities of tannins.
Sorghum grains with a pigmented testa layer, chestnut colour glumes, and red plant parts
(i.e., tannin-containing) have a higher antioxidant activity than other types of sorghum with
a lower content of tannins. Extracts of hazelnuts prepared from the green leafy cover (i.e.,
rich in tannins) exhibited greater antioxidant properties than those of extracts prepared
from hazelnut kernels. Statistically significant linear correlations were found between
TEAC (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity) values and the content of condensed tannins in the extracts prepared from canola hulls. In the aforementioned study, the quantity of
condensed tannins was determined using both the vanillin and proanthocyanidins assays.
Tannins from Picrorhiza kurrora seeds inhibited lipid-peroxidation in a manner similar to
that of BHA, BHT, and TBHQ. The tannins fraction separated from acetonic extracts of
almonds, red bean, and pea exhibited stronger antioxidant activity than the fractions of
low-molecular-mass phenolics separated from the same respective plant material [3-5]. In
the cited studies, the authors employed methods such as reducing power, antiradical activity against DPPH. and ABTS.1, and antioxidant activity in a b-carotene-linoleate model
system. For extracts prepared from leguminous seeds (i.e., faba bean, broad bean, adzuki
bean, red bean, red lentil, and green lentil) statistically significant correlations were
reported between total antioxidant activity and tannins content determined by both the
vanillin method (P ,0.01) and after n-butanol/ HCl hydrolysis (P ,0.05) [6].
Tannins do not function solely as primary antioxidants (i.e., they donate hydrogen atom or
electrons), they also function as secondary antioxidants. Tannins have the ability to chelate
metal ions such as Fe(II) and interfere with one of the reaction steps in the Fenton reaction
and thereby retard oxidation [7]. The inhibition of lipid peroxidation by tannin constituents
can act via the inhibition of cyclooxygenase [8].
The antioxidative properties of tannin-rich extracts have been observed in meat model
system studies. For example, a bearberry-leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) extract, characterized by the presence of condensed and hydrolysable tannins (,10%), at a 500-ppm

2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

www.ejlst.com

Editorial

Ryszard Amarowicz

Several groups of phenolic compounds, having the general properties of tannins as

defined by Bate-Smith, are quite distinct from one another in terms of their chemical
structure [2]. Phytochemists have segregated tannins into three main classes: condensed
tannins (i.e., proanthocyanidins) are flavanol-based compounds that release anthocyanidins at high temperatures in alcohol solutions or a strong mineral acid; gallotannins and
ellagitannins belong to the family of hydrolysable tannins. Gallotaninns are comprised of
galloyl esters of glucose or quinic acid whereas ellagitannins are derivatives of hexahydroxydiphenic acid (HHDP). Phloroglucinols are subunits of phlorotannins, which are
present only in marine brown algae.

550

Editorial

Eur. J. Lipid Sci. Technol. 109 (2007) 549551

addition level protected pork lipids against oxidation during storage at 47C as measured by
TBARS formation to a similar extent as that of TBHQ (100 ppm) [9]. The tannin fraction of
the bearberry-leaf extract added to meat systems at 25-, 50-, and 100-ppm levels inhibited TBARS formation by 36.7, 91.4 and 100%, after seven days of refrigerated storage
[10]. The proanthocyanidins fraction separated from a green tea crude extract using column chromatography showed inhibition of meat lipid oxidation when applied at levels of
50-500 ppm [11].
Tannins can form soluble and insoluble complexes. The formation depends not only on the
size, conformation and charge of the protein molecule, but also on the molecular weight,
length and flexibility of the tannins involved. The interaction of tannin constituents in the
bearberry-leaf extract with meat proteins, such as myosin, did not result in a loss of the
observed antioxidant activity. In fact, spectral data from TBARS analyses of cooked pork
systems indicated that the isolated protein-tannin complexes added to meat systems
survived thermal processing and give stability to meat lipids against oxidation. Thus, tannins bound to proteins may provide a sink for persistent antioxidant activity [12].
Kim-Thom Chung et al. [13] entitled their review article on the biological properties of tannins Are tannins a double-edged sword in biology and health? I believe that the antioxidant and radical scavenging properties of tannins are only now just beginning to be
appreciated in terms of their mechanism of action in biological systems. Without question,
the application of tannins, or constituents therefrom, to functional/medical foods will
increase exponentially in the coming years.

Ryszard Amarowicz
Division of Food Science, Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish
Academy of Sciences, Olsztyn, Poland

References
[1] E. C. Bate-Smith, T. Swein: Flavonoid compounds. In: Comparative Biochemistry. Eds. H. S.
Mason, A.M. Florkin, Academic Press, New York (USA), 1962, pp. 755809.
[2] A. E. Hagerman, Y. Zhao, S. Johnson; Methods for determination of condensed and hydrolyzable
tannins. ACS Symposium Series. 2005, 662, 209222.
[3] R. Amarowicz, A. Toszynska, F. Shahidi: Antioxidant activity of extract of almond seeds and its
fractions. J Food Lipids. 2004, 12, 344358.
[4] R. Amarowicz, A. Troszynska: Antioxidant and antiradical activity of extracts of phenolic compounds from red bean. Czech J Food Sci. 2004, 22SI, 206208.
[5] R. Amarowicz, A. Troszynska: Antioxidant and antiradical activity of extract of pea and its fractions
of low molecular phenolics and tannins. Pol J Food Nutr Sci. 2003, 53SI, 1015.
[6] R. Amarowicz, A. Toszynska, N. Barylko-Pikielna, F. Shahidi: Polyphenolics extracts from legume
seeds: correlation between total antioxidant activitity, total phenolics content, tnnins content and
astringency. J Food Lipids. 2004, 11, 278286.
[7] M. Karamac, A. Kosinska. R. Amarowicz: Chelating of Fe(II), Zn(II) and Cu(II) by tannin fractions
separated from hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds. Bromat Chem Toksykol. 2006, 39, 257260.
[8] Y. J. Zhang, D. L. DeWitt, S. Murugesan, M. G. Nair: Novel lipi-peroxidation and cyclooxygenaseinhibitory tannins from Picrorhiza kurrora seeds. Chem Biodiver. 2004, 1, 426441.

2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

www.ejlst.com

Eur. J. Lipid Sci. Technol. 109 (2007) 549551

Editorial

551

[9] R. Amarowicz, R. B. Pegg, B. Barl: Antioxidant activity of extracts of phenolic compounds from
selected plant species. In: Biologicaly-Active Phytochemicals in Food. Eds. W. Pfannhauser, C.R.
Fenwick, S. Khokhar, Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge (UK) 2001, pp. 345348.
[10] R. B. Pegg, R. Amarowicz, M. Naczk: Antioxidant activity of polyphenolics from bearberry-leaf
(Arctostaphylos uva-ursi L.) Sprengel) extract in met systems. ACS Symposium Series, 2005, 909,
6782.
[11] R. Amarowicz, R. B. Pegg, G. A. Dykes, A. Troszynska, F. Shahidi: Antioxidant ant antibacterial
properties of extracts of green tea polyphenols. ACS Symposium Series. 2005, 909, 94106.
[12] R. B. Pegg, R. Amarowicz: Meat protein-tannin interactions: observed antioxidant activity and
potential health benefits. 50th International Congress of Meat Science and Technology, 2004,
Helsinki, Finland.
[13] K.-T. Chung, C.-I. Wei, M. G. Johnson: Are tannins a double-edged sword in biology and health?
Trends Food Sci Nutr. 1998, 9, 168175.

2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

www.ejlst.com