DOST-FPRDI, Swiss National Science Foundation, other groups team up to study tannin Philippine | 04/10/2018

The DOST- Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) recently became part of a joint project set to study the most effective way to extract tannins— organic substances found in plant tissues and barks that is commonly used in making leather and adhesives, among others.

The Pinoy Tannin project is a collaboration of the Swiss National Science Foundation, Switzerland’s Burn University of Applied Sciences, DOST- FPRDI, Visayas State University, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Philippine Coconut Authority. Besides tannin extraction, the project also aims to develop agro-forestry practices and recommend policies for sustainable tannin use.

According to Ms. Mariluz SP. Dionglay of FPRDI’s Chemistry and Bio-Technology Section, expensive phenol-formaldehyde-based wood adhesives make the production of panel boards and similar products very costly. “This is why we want to develop a low-cost and sustainable extraction technology to recover tannins,” she said.

Last August 8-10, 2018, the project team held a training on “Extraction & Analysis of Phenolics from Plant Tissues” at the FPRDI Chemistry Laboratory. It was facilitated by Dr. Sauro Bianchi, project leader and a professor at the Burn University of Applied Sciences

The Pinoy Tannin project started in August 2018 and will end in 2022.