Guideline for measurement of condensed tannin

Abstract

Abstract Astringency is a major sensory property and plays an important role in the overall quality of juice and wines. A major contributor to astringency is condensed tannins, which can precipitate with salivary glycoproteins. And thus, it is vital to develop methods to measure the tannin accurately. Recently, the interest in the application of condensed tannin assays has been increasing in various fields. Condensed tannin assays broadly include the determination of concentration, activity, mean degree of polymerization and its derivative flavan‐3‐ol sulfonates content. In this guideline, the mechanisms and the practice of the most common condensed tannin assays applied in research labs are discussed in detail.

Keywords

• condensed tannin
• flavan‐3‐ol sulfonates
• mean degree of polymerization
• tannin activity