Tannins are a group of large polyphenolic compounds found in many plants. Studying how tannins break down could further the understanding of the importance of tannin in natural systems. This experiment focused on two distinct models of degradation: enzymatic and chemical. Polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme that will oxidize phenolic compounds, was used with both caffeic acid and an apple dimer of tannin and studied using UV/Vis Spectroscopy. The results showed that the polyphenol oxidase degraded the caffeic acid; however, no visible change could be seen in the spectra for the apple dimer. In a chemical model, the Sorghum condensed tannin was placed in a slightly basic solution and studied on HPLC. We obtained promising data that showed that the tannin was degrading in a repeatable pattern. Conclusively we can say that the optimal degradation for tannin occurs in a slightly basic solution and most likely an oxidizing enzyme is not the cause of this degradation. The future work on this project includes identifying specific compounds formed during the degradation of the tannin that can be seen on the HPLC data. Biochemistry research and conducting my own experiments have been something I have always been passionate about and I hope to continue it in my career.
Author: Ellen Tieke
Faculty Advisor: Ann E. Hagerman, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
You must be logged in to post a comment.