Whether they're used in vegetable tanning or as a wood impregnation agent, tannins are important components of wood. They can also be useful in animal feed, cosmetics, and other areas. They are naturally present in a wide range of plant materials, including fruits and leaves.
Tannins are natural polyphenols, found in many different types of plants and woods. They are important for preserving wood, reducing the risk of decomposition, and helping colour wine. They are also widely used in the leather tanning industry. They can be tamped into wood, dried to powder, and then redissolved in water for use in wood impregnation.
There are several ways to produce a tannic stain, but the most common is to immerse the end of a sawn timber in an ammonia bath. The acid is then removed from the solution through freeze-drying.
Some other methods include lyophilization, which is a technique that separates the volatile acid from the modified tannin. This process can remove a phlobaphene, which is a hydrophobic compound that forms when a tannin bonds with a hydroxyl group in a water-conductive path. The lyophilization procedure is a more effective method of eliminating volatile acids, and results in a dry powdered extract.
Tannins are also responsible for the dramatic light streaks that occur on the edge of board when the boards are in a low tannin state. This is an interesting aesthetic effect.
Tannins are also naturally occurring in grapes. The flavour of the wine is determined by the level of tannins in the grapes. They are also naturally present in the barrels that store the wine. The amount of tannins in a wine depends on the type of grapes used and the environment where the wine is aged.
