Application of flow nephelometry to the analysis of the influence of carbohydrates on protein–tannin interactions

The flow nephelometric technique was recently introduced to study the interaction between tannins and proteins. This technique was employed here to study the ability of the polysaccharides xanthan, dextran and gum arabic to disrupt the interactions between condensed tannin fractions from grape seed and bovine serum albumin (BSA). Xanthan was shown to have a higher ability to inhibit the aggregate formation of tannins and BSA than the other polysaccharides. Xanthan's ability to inhibit protein‐tannin complex formation was higher for condensed tannin fractions of smaller size and lower complexity.