Tannins

Tannins General

Tannins belong to a large group of secondary plant substances. These substances are not essential for plant life and are only produced in certain cell types. Translated from French, the word "tanin" means tanning agent. In German, the term comes from the word "Tanne" (fir), as the wood tannins found in fir trees were once used for the vegetable tanning of leather. In the Middle Ages, entire tanning forests were even planted for tanning purposes, as tanning was the predominant tanning method. Today, however, only 10-12% of leather is tanned this way.

Tanning Lohwälder Gusti Leather

Occurrence of plant tannins

These plant substances are found not only in fir trees, but also in a wide variety of mostly tropical/subtropical bushes, fruits, nuts, herbs, trees, shrubs, and nuts. However, in some plant species, it takes up to 30 years to produce enough tannins to be used for leather tanning. In contrast, there are also plants that contain more tannins the younger they are. A total of up to 300 different plant species are known that can be used for tanning. All Gusti Leder nature products are tanned with the bark of the babul tree.

Babultree Tanning Gusti Leather

Function of tannins

Tannins are produced by plants under stress as a defense against predators. These secondary plant substances are stored in specific cells in such a way that they do not interfere with their own metabolic cycle. They are only activated when these cells are destroyed. Tannins can bind and precipitate proteins, causing, for example, a severely reduced nutrient absorption in ruminants. As a result, the affected animals can suffer from stomach upsets, kidney and liver problems, or even die. This binding property of the protein threads is used in vegetable tanning to preserve leather. Vegetable-tanned leather can be recognized by its characteristic brown or tan color.

Vegetable tanning tannins

Tannins in food

Tannins play an important role not only in tanning, but also in the mouthfeel of various foods, such as smoked meat and fish, chocolate, wine, and tea. These plant substances are therefore harmless to humans. They merely contribute to the bitter to tart, furry taste in some foods.

Tannins in foods