Taninos: importância e aplicações na indústria de alimentos

Abstract

Tannins are polyphenolic compounds formed in the secondary metabolism of plant species. They have high molecular weight, are water soluble and have the ability to interact with food constituents, such as proteins, and form insoluble complexes. Chemically, they are divided into two classes: hydrolysable and condensed tannins. The present work aims to describe the importance and possible applications of tannins in the food and beverage industry, as well as to analyze perspectives about their potential of use to improve the production processes. For the elaboration of this work, specific keywords were searched in the databases: Medline, Google Academic, Lilacs and Periodicals Capes, selecting scientific journals that presented a more recent approach on the studied subject. The importance of tannins as promoters of astringency and modifiers of other industrial properties is well explored, but the application of tannins as antioxidants, antimicrobials, antiparasitics, modifiers of sensorial characteristics, additives in packaging and others have been studied, although little explored. The actions promoted by these compounds are dependent on their chemical structures and their ability to complex with food components and have demonstrated good natural active compounds with ample possibility of industrial application. However, more in-depth studies on the applicability of these compounds in the Food Industry are necessary to make feasible and improve the employability of these compounds in food products, since in some of them, undesirable effects have been reported.