Tannins are secondary metabolites of plants, polymers consisting mainly of glycosides, found in nature as hydrolysable tannins or condensed tannins, as well as a combination of them.

In the European H2020 funded Stance4Health project, one of the objective is to develop special tannin extracts (from chestnut wood, quebracho wood, oak wood, tara pods, chinese gallnuts) with differential effects on the gut microbiota and human health, aiming for a personalised modulation of gut microbiota activity at the individual level.

The tannins will be extracted by means of water, ethanol or water-ethanol mixtures at different ratios. Novel dietary supplements enriched with different tannin extracts in order to exert novel biological activities, will be produced in an individualised manner, being the entry step in the European Food Sector for personalised nutrition. Due to their astringency and bitter flavor, will be define how the bitterness can be modify by coating the bitter‐tasting tannins extracted using alginate or gum-like or combination of maltodextrin-gum Arabic (ratio of 40:60 (w/w)) formulas to form double-phase emulsion micro-encapsulation or using the spray-dry method to obtain HPMC particles with tannins. The final product targeted is a powder form that can be easily re-dispersed in water for personalization at individual level.

Besides, it is well-known their antioxidant, antimicrobial (increase the shelf-life of foods) and antibacterial (inhibitor to foodborne bacteria) effects, and therefore their application as food enhancements and food preservatives it is of high importance due to their protective nature.

Acknowledgement. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 816303 (STANCE4HEALTH).