Tannic acid, directly from the manufacturer
What is tannic acid
Tannic acid (CAS: 1401-55-4, EINECS: 215-753-2) is a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound found throughout the plant kingdom. It is especially abundant in gallnuts, outgrowths formed on species such as oaks and sumac, as well as in the pods of tara trees native to South America. Available in powder form, tannic acid is valued for its strong astringent, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and its ability to bind proteins. All of these make it a versatile ingredient across a range of industries including food & beverage (beer, wine), pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, textiles and chemical manufacturing.
Reliable supplier for high-quality tannic acid powder
At Silvateam, we operate a dedicated extraction line for tannic acid, built on a direct and tightly controlled supply chain for Chinese gallnuts, Aleppo gallnuts and Tara pods. With over 170 years of expertise in plant-based extracts, we have become a trusted B2B supplier of tannic acid powder, recognised for its consistent quality, excellent solubility and proven performance across a wide range of sectors.
Main applications of tannic acid
Our deep manufacturing know-how enables us to offer a versatile product portfolio: from technical grades to high-purity grades suitable for beverage, pharmaceutical and cosmetic use.
Tannic acid has long played a role in beer stabilisation. With the rise of lager beers and global distribution, the need for consistent colloidal and organoleptic stability became critical. Historically, synthetic aids like silica gel and PVPP dominated the market, but the brewing industry is now shifting toward natural alternatives. Tannic acid offers a sustainable and effective solution, forming complexes with haze-forming proteins and metal ions, thereby improving clarity, taste and shelf life while reducing oxidation.
Tan’Activ® is our brand offering a comprehensive range of processing aids in both hot and cold stages of brewing. Whether applied during mashing, boiling, maturation or filtration, out tannic acid solutions help reduce waste, lower costs and improve antioxidant potential without affecting foam stability. Their compatibility with various filtration systems—such as DE, perlite and membrane—makes them a versatile choice for modern breweries.
By replacing or reducing synthetic stabilizers, Tan’Activ® helps brewers achieve brilliant, crispy and balanced beers. Tannic acid ability to enhance drinkability while minimising lingering aftertastes positions it as a premium solution for breweries seeking sustainable innovation.
Silvateam has been pioneering the use of tannins in winemaking since the 1970s. Today we offer a wide range of tannins showing many properties as regulator of redox potential, aiding in colour stabilisation and the ageing process. Their multifunctional roles include complexing unstable proteins to clarify must and wine without altering aroma and exerting metal-chelating effects to prevent haze and oxidative degradation. Additionally, tannin helps stabilise colour through the formation of complexes with anthocyanins and flavonols, improves organoleptic properties by contributing mouthfeel and masking bitterness.
Our technical team can offer a full range of tannins, from single extracts to blends of different raw materials, for oenological applications suitable for fermentation, clarification and finishing.
Tannic acid contributes significantly to flavour modulation and oxidative stability in food and beverage applications, especially in juices and soft drinks. Its ability to bind excess proteins, along with its reducing and radical scavenging properties, makes it an effective agent for preventing oxidation and enhancing product shelf life. These mechanisms of action also enable tannic acid to function as a natural flavouring and masking agent, imparting dryness and astringency while balancing taste profiles and compensating for fluctuations caused by sweeteners.
In cosmetic formulations, tannic acid is renowned for its astringent and antioxidant properties, which help tone the skin, protecting it from free radicals and controlling excess oil, particularly suitable in acne-prone skin. Its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects also make it a key ingredient in personal and hair care creams, supporting skin health, soothing irritation and protecting against environmental stressors.
Tannic acid is widely used in pharmaceutical products, notably for its astringent, antibacterial, haemostatic and anti-inflammatory properties, which make it effective in topical preparations such as ointments and suppositories used to treat haemorrhoids, wounds and burns.
Additionally, this natural ingredient is appreciated in anti-diarrheal formulations to help manage mild diarrhoea by tightening mucosal tissues and reducing fluid loss.
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Silvateam’s tannic acid-based solutions play a key role in textile processing, particularly in flock activation systems for both AC and DC applications. By interacting with both polyamide in fibres and aluminium ions, these adjuvants ensure long-lasting activity, superior flock density and improved handling properties, making them essential in treatments for polyamide and polyester substrates.
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Silvateam’s tannic acid compounds find application in many formulations of rust converters. Tannic acid works by forming stable complexes with iron and its oxides, effectively converting existing rust into iron tannate, a black and inert protective layer. This chemical transformation results in the creation of a passive coating that prevents further oxidation and corrosion, with no need to remove the existing rust.
The role of tannic acid in improving operational efficiency and water quality is multifaceted. These polyphenols serve as natural oxygen scavengers, which helps reduce oxidative reactions that contribute to scale formation and corrosion in pipes and equipment. Additionally, tannins promote the aggregation of suspended clay and organic particles, enhancing flocculation and sedimentation processes. These combined actions help prevent clogging in filtration systems and improve the overall efficiency of water treatment operations. Through metal complexation, tannins bind with heavy metals such as iron, lead and copper, reducing their concentration in treated water.
In mining applications, tannic acid, a natural and eco-friendly depressant, exhibits remarkable selectivity by binding metal cations and other mineral components, forming stable complexes that modify surface charge and hydrophobicity. This unique property enables efficient purification through flotation processes, particularly effective in depressing calcite during fluorite flotation. Moreover, tannic acid forms strong complexes with metals such as germanium, enhancing precipitation and flotation efficiency in various extraction operations, including rare earth element recovery and gold mining.
Our technical team is available to support you in selecting among our various natural ingredients and find the solution that is most beneficial to your specific needs.