Testing the Efficiency of Beneficial Effects within Tanninsfor Commercial and
Agricultural Use
Introduction
The basics of Tannins (also known as tannic acid) is that they are water-soluble polyphenols
found in a wide variety of plant foods. Tannin, also known as tannic acid, is part of a group of
pale-yellow to light-brown amorphous compounds found in plants that are mostly used in
tanning leather, dyeing silk, producing ink, and various medical applications. Tannin solutions
are acidic and astringent in flavor. Tannin is the compound that gives tea its astringency, color,
and some of its taste.
“Polyphenols” are a diverse group of secondary metabolites that are contained in the vacuoles
of vegetal cells as esters or glycosides. Despite their vastness, this family of compounds shares
certain characteristics, such as formation of colored complexes with iron salts.
Tannins are naturally found in many plants, especially in the bark of oak species and sumac and
myrobalan. They are also found in galls, which are pathological growths caused by insect
attacks. Tannins reduce the effectiveness of processing nutrients consumed into new body
substances, reducing their nutritional value.
Many carcinogenic substances and/or mutagens create oxygen free radicals. Tea polyphenols
and many tannin components are anticarcinogenic. Some studies have shown a negative link
between tea intake and the occurrence of cancer in some cancers, including esophageal
cancer.
Hypothesis
Tannins are extracted using an organic aqueous solvent.
An extract composed of 70% acetone and 30% water is more effective than alcoholic solvents.
Acetone blocks the interaction between tannins and proteins. In protein precipitation assays,
this is a disadvantage.
Many plants have a significant proportion of their tannins that cannot be harvested (sometimes
more than 50%). (insoluble tannins).
Because of its nutritious value, this extractable fraction cannot be overlooked.
External standards have a significant drawback in that the extinction
coefficients for the chromophores derived within the Tannins are normally different from those
obtained from plant extracts and sometimes even deemed negligible by previous researches.
In other words, each gram of an external norm (such as cyanidin or quebracho) absorbs
differently than each gram of plant extract tannin. Furthermore, because of the vast range of
tannin forms found in nature, absorption varies by plant species.
METHODOLOGY
Research design
This study is the first to use a quasi-experimental design, which lacks the key ingredient –
random assignment. The experimental variables can be quantitative or qualitative, and they can
be at different levels depending on the searched interest. Participants were selected based on
their knowledge, relationships, and expertise about a research subject.
Respondents and Research Locale
Mahogany leaves, distilled water and ethanol solutions are used in this study to determine the
effect of ferric chloride on color differentiation. The study was conducted by West Visayas State
University, LaPaz Campus, under the supervision of the academic adviser (ECQ).
Materials
• 10 g mahogany leaves
• 10 ml distilled water
• 10 ml 95% ethanol
• 1 ml 5% ferric chloride
Data-gathering instruments
The research involved the use of digital tables constructed from Microsoft applications and input
our observations, which can also be used as a guide for each consecutive interval. The entire
experiment will be recorded via a smartphone visually and audibly for the purpose of repetitive
counteracting analysis and evaluation.
Data Collection Procedure
1. Grind 5 g mahogany leaves in 10 ml distilled water using mortar and pestle.
(Collect the liquid portion)
2. Set aside. Label (TT-A).
3. Grind 5 g mahogany leaves in 10 ml 95% ethanol using mortar and pestle. Collect the liquid
portion.
4. Set aside. Label (TT-B).
5. Add 2-3 drops of 5% ferric chloride solution in each test tube.
6. Observe the color formation. For your reference, the information below is indicated:
• Condensed tannins (catechol or phloroglucinol) give a green black color.
• Hydrolysable tannins (pyrogallol) give a blue-black color.
Statistical Data Analysis Procedure
Tannins will be extracted from mahogany leaves and an ethanol solution by semi-micro analysis
with one long-term observation test. Distilled water test and ethanol test procedures were used
as described by Falcão and Araújo in a previous rendition of the experiment.
This aqueous-based technique is the most known but easiest to carry out, and the residues
generated have no harmful impact on the environment. Tannin recovery is very high, indicating
that this is an effective technique in both economic and environmental terms. The key drawback
of this approach is the large volume of solvent needed.
Result and Discussion
Due to the Iloilo City COVID-19 MECQ Lockdown, we were unable to perform the procedure in
a counseled laboratory with the appropriate materials. We will be gathering data from official
sources provided by the web. No information shall be directly copy-pasted from existing
research studies or articles. We will just be looking for results that are the most accurate and
precise to our hypothesis and experimental procedure and from that, we will formulate our
conclusion.
Findings
Descriptive Data analysis
Phytochemistry tests reveal the presence of various bioactive secondary metabolites which
might be responsible for their medicinal attributes. Fermentation, maceration, decoction,
infusion, digestion, hot continuous extraction, and other generic processes are used to extract
therapeutic arbors effectively. A 5g (Swietenia mahagoni (L.) extract was boiled in 95% ethyl
alcohol in a boiling tube. The extracts were stored in an amber colored bottle and refrigerated
producing a blue-blackish color. Formation of brownish green or blue black indicated the
presence of tannins.
Inferential Data Analysis
Tannic acid (Acidum tannicum), the most common commercial form of tannin, is a polyphenol.
Tannic acids are key component in chemical wood staining. Gallic acid may be found in rhubarb,
mahogany and clove. Hydrolyzed Tannins are degraded by acids or enzymes resulting in gallic
and ellagic acid. Gallic acid (GA) has cytotoxicity against cancer cells while causing no damage
to healthy cells.
GA and its derivatives improve gut microbiome activity and modify immunological responses.
GA has potential for enhancing natural defense against microbial infections and modulating the
immune response.
Conclusion
In our opinion, the ferric chloride test is a quick, cheap and simple method to perform in order to
detect tannins’ acidic components in mahogany samples which are useful. It is already given
that specific tannins have specific health advantages and disadvantages, and it’s also already
given that a specific color shade correspond to an acid component based on previous research
studies, what is not given however are the modifying factors that will enable us to see these
colors and therefore could enable us to differentiate hydrolysable and condensed tannins.
Tannins were NOT extracted but only detected from mahogany extracts using the same amount
of ferric chloride solution in the presence of the same amount of water and ethanol. Even if the
experimental procedure wasn’t performed in a supervised laboratory setting but instead utilized
the results of existing studies on ferric chloride solution and water or alcohol as the solvent as a
significant factor of determining color separation.
Recommendation
The overall impression of this study is more of a positive than a negative, and although the
procedure and materials we utilized are not fresh and is most unlikely a
soon-to-be-the-new-trend for tannin chemical detection, it aims to be the most realistic and
feasible approach. When going outdoors for recreation or fun activities, there are cases where
you will be either stranded or lost on a plant or tree dominated area where you’re forced to
consume plant samples or utilize them for medical and nutritional purposes. Just remember to
bring your water, ethanol and ferric chloride solution with you so you could differentiate the
tannin components of those plant samples, at least now you know mahogany is healthy for you
when you see one and if you aren’t able to see one, perform and execute the ferric chloride test
with accurate measurements on any plant sample so you could determine which is mostly
beneficial or harmful. Of course, studying the correspondence of acidic components to their
color shades should be done when differentiating which is fit for health.
