Tannins Analysis Service—Targeted LC–MS/MS Quantification

What Are Tannins and Why Analyze Them?

Tannins are plant-derived polyphenols that bind proteins, interact with polysaccharides, and form complexes with metals. In real projects, they mainly:

• Shape color, bitterness, and astringency in wines, teas, juices, and plant-based foods.
• Influence digestibility, protein utilization, and rumen health in animal feeds.
• Contribute to plant defense, stress tolerance, and quality traits in crops.

Because different tannin classes (hydrolyzable vs condensed) and degrees of polymerization behave very differently, a single "total tannin" value is rarely enough. Tannins analysis focuses on resolving individual tannin species and their relative abundance in a given matrix, so you can:

• Link chemical profiles to sensory properties, nutrition, or biological function.
• Compare batches, varieties, treatments, or processing conditions with confidence.
• Generate data that can feed into breeding, formulation, or quality-control decisions.

What Our Tannins Analysis Service Provides

Our Tannins Analysis Service is built around targeted LC–MS/MS profiling. The goal is to give you not just a single "total tannin" value, but a resolved picture of key tannin classes in your specific matrix.

We typically support:

• Targeted quantification of key tannin species in plant tissues, foods, beverages, feeds, and extracts.
• Coverage from hydrolyzable to condensed tannins, with a focus on structurally defined markers.
• Flexible study design for variety comparison, processing optimization, storage trials, stress treatments, or formulation work.
• Data interpretation support, linking tannin patterns to sensory traits, nutritional readouts, or biological hypotheses.

You can submit single matrices (for example, tea leaves, grape skins, forage samples) or multi-matrix projects across treatments, varieties, or time points.

Representative Tannins We Can Analyze

We design targeted panels around your matrix and research question. The table below lists typical tannin classes and markers we can cover; project-specific extensions are available on request.

*Panels can be customized; we can add or remove targets according to your species, matrix, and available reference standards.

Why Choose Creative Proteomics for Tannin Analysis?

• Targeted, not "total" – LC–MS/MS quantification of individual hydrolysable and condensed tannins, avoiding the bias of bulk colorimetric "total tannin" assays.
• Quantitative performance you can quote – Typical LOD ~0.1–1 ng/mL, LOQ ~0.3–5 ng/mL, linearity over 3–4 orders of magnitude (R² ≥ 0.99), and CV usually < 10%.
• Transparent quantification strategy – Absolute values where reference standards are available; semi-quantitative results are clearly flagged so interpretation is unambiguous.
• Matrix-optimized methods – Extraction and LC–MS conditions tuned for tea, wine, grape, cocoa, forages/feeds and botanical samples to reduce matrix effects.
• Flexible panel design – Core tannins panel with the option to extend to related phenolic acids, flavan-3-ols and other polyphenols as your project requires.

Analytical Platforms for Tannins Quantification

We quantify tannins mainly by UHPLC–ESI–MS/MS on triple-quadrupole instruments, with high-resolution MS used where structural confirmation or extended profiling is needed. Our core platforms are aligned with what is commonly used in recent tannin and proanthocyanidin LC–MS/MS methods.

Core instruments used for tannins analysis

• Agilent 1290 Infinity UHPLC + 6495 Triple Quadrupole LC/MS
  High-pressure UHPLC (sub-2 µm columns) coupled to an ESI triple-quad system for routine MRM-based quantification of hydrolysable and condensed tannins in plant matrices.
• Waters ACQUITY UPLC + Xevo TQ Triple Quadrupole
  UHPLC–ESI–QqQ configuration frequently used in published hydrolysable-tannin workflows; we use a similar setup for fast, selective quantification of marker tannins along biosynthetic pathways.
• Thermo Q Exactive Orbitrap (UHPLC–HRMS)
  Employed in selected projects for high-resolution confirmation of tannin structures and detailed profiling of proanthocyanidins when needed, following recent literature on PAs and tannins.

These platforms give us a robust balance of high-throughput targeted quantification (triple-quad) and high-confidence identification (Orbitrap HRMS).

Method Performance Parameters

Values below represent typical ranges from our validated tannin / polyphenol workflows and are consistent with recent UHPLC–MS/MS methods for hydrolysable tannins, ellagitannins and proanthocyanidins in the literature. Actual numbers for a given project depend on the specific analyte and matrix.

Triple Quad™ 6500+ (Figure from Sciex)

Waters ACQUITY UPLC System (Figure from Waters)

Agilent 6495C Triple Quadrupole (Figure from Agilent)

Agilent 1260 Infinity II HPLC (Fig from Agilent)

From Sample to Report: Workflow for Tannins Analysis Projects

1

Project scoping

We define your objectives, sample types, target tannins and required output, then fix the panel and assay setup.

2

Sample receipt & preparation

Samples are checked, logged and stored correctly, then processed with matrix-appropriate extraction, cleanup and internal standards where needed.

3

LC–MS/MS acquisition & QC

Batches run in MRM mode on triple-quadrupole LC–MS/MS with blanks, calibration standards and pooled QC samples to track performance.

4

Data processing & quantification

Peaks are integrated and confirmed, concentrations are calculated from calibration curves, and semi-quantitative values are clearly flagged.

5

Reporting & delivery

You receive structured result tables, QC/calibration summaries and a concise methods/results report, ready to use in your own analyses and documents.

Sample Requirements for LC–MS/MS Tannins Analysis

For publication-oriented studies, we recommend at least three biological replicates per group and clear annotation of treatment, variety, and time point for each sample.

Deliverables: What You Receive from Our Tannins Analysis

Method summary – brief description of sample preparation, LC–MS/MS conditions, monitored transitions, and calibration/QC setup.

Raw data files – LC–MS/MS raw data files (vendor format) for all samples and QC runs.

Processed peak tables – annotated peak lists for each tannin (and related phenolics, if included), with sample IDs and response values.

Quantitative result tables – concentration or semi-quantitative tables per analyte and per sample, with units and flags for values below LOQ or outside calibration range.

QC and calibration report – summary of calibration curves, R² values, QC sample performance, and basic repeatability metrics.

Representative LC–MS/MS MRM chromatograms of a tannin standard mix (top) and a wine (or tea) sample (bottom), showing separation of hydrolyzable and condensed tannins.

Calibration curves for gallic acid, tannic acid, catechin, and procyanidin B2 with linear ranges, R² values, and approximate LOQs in the LC–MS/MS tannins method.

Applications of Tannins Analysis in Foods, Feeds and Plants

Plant stress and ecosystem studies

Profile tannins under drought, salinity, pests, pathogens, and across soils or litter to understand defense, decomposition, and nutrient cycling.

Crop quality and breeding

Compare varieties for leaf, fruit, grain, or seed tannin profiles and link them to color, astringency, antioxidant capacity, and other quality traits.

Wine, tea and beverage science

Monitor tannin composition during maceration, fermentation, aging, and processing to support sensory optimization and product differentiation.

Food processing and storage

Quantify how roasting, drying, extrusion, formulation, or storage conditions change tannin levels and patterns in plant-based foods.

Forage and ruminant nutrition

Measure condensed tannins in forages and feeds to evaluate protein protection, rumen fermentation, and diet formulation.

Botanical extracts and nutraceuticals

Define marker tannins and target ranges in extracts and finished products for standardization, batch release, and stability studies.