''Tara spinosa'', commonly known as ''tara'' (

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

), also known as Peruvian carob or spiny holdback, is a small leguminous tree or thorny shrub native to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. ''T. spinosa'' is cultivated as a source of

tannins Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', f ...

based on a

galloyl Gallic acid (also known as 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid) is a trihydroxybenzoic acid with the formula C6 H2( OH)3CO2H. It is classified as a phenolic acid. It is found in gallnuts, sumac, witch hazel, tea leaves, oak bark, and other plants. It ...

ated

quinic acid Quinic acid is a cyclitol, a cyclic polyol, and a cyclohexanecarboxylic acid. It is a colorless solid that can be extracted from plant sources. Quinic acid is implicated in the perceived acidity of coffee. Occurrence and preparation The compound ...

structure. This chemical structure has been confirmed also by LC-MS.M. N. Clifford, S. Stoupi and N. Kuhnert
''Profiling and Characterization by LC-MSn of the Galloylquinic Acids of Green Tea, Tara Tannin, and Tannic Acid''
J. Agric. Food Chem., 2007, 55 (8), pp. 2797-2807. DOI: 10.1021/jf063533l. Publication Date (Web): March 24, 2007. It is also grown as an ornamental plant because of its large colorful flowers and pods.

Names and taxonomy

Its common names include spiny holdback,'' tara, taya,'' and '' algarroba tanino'' (Peru). ''T. spinosa'' is placed in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae, and tribe Caesalpinieae.

Description

''T. spinosa'' typically grows 2–5 m tall; its bark is dark gray with scattered prickles and hairy twigs. Leaves are alternate, evergreen, lacking stipules,

bipinnate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

, and lacking petiolar and

rachis In biology, a rachis (from the grc, ῥάχις [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft". In zoology and microbiology In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this c ...

glands. Leaves consist of three to 10 pairs of primary leaflets under 8 cm in length, and five to seven pairs of subsessile elliptic secondary leaflets, each about 1.5–4 cm long.

Inflorescences An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

are 15–20 cm long terminal

racemes A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

, many flowered and covered in tiny hairs. Flowers are yellow to orange with 6- to 7-mm

petals Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usually ...

; the lowest

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

is boat-shaped with many long marginal teeth;

stamens The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

are yellow, irregular in length and barely protruding. The fruit is a flat, oblong

indehiscent Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part; structures that op ...

pod, about 6–12 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, containing four to seven round black seeds, which redden when mature.

Distribution and habitat

''T. spinosa'' is native to Peru and can be found growing throughout northern, western, and southern South America, from Venezuela to Argentina. It has been introduced in drier parts of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa and has become naturalized in California. ''T. spinosa'' grows in the nearly rainless

lomas Lomas (Spanish for "hills"), also called fog oases and mist oases, are areas of fog-watered vegetation in the coastal desert of Peru and northern Chile. About 100 lomas near the Pacific Ocean are identified between 5°S and 30°S latitude, a nort ...

or fog oases of the Peruvian coastal desert. Generally resistant to most pathogens and pests, it grows at elevations between 0 and 3,000 m above sea level, and tolerates dry climates and poor soils, including those high in sand and rocks. To propagate, seeds must be scarified (treated to break physical dormancy), and young plants should be transplanted to the field at 40 cm in height; trees begin to produce after 4–5 years. Mature pods are usually harvested by hand and typically sun dried before processing. If well irrigated, trees can continue to produce for another 80 years, though their highest production is between 15 and 65 years of age.

Uses

Industrial

''T. spinosa'' pods are an excellent source of environmentally friendly tannins (tara tannins) most commonly used in the manufacture of automotive and furniture leathers.J. C. Castell Escue
''TARA (Caesalpinia spinosa): the sustainable source of tannins for innovative tanning processes''
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). Barcelona, January 2012. This growing industry is developing around their production in Peru. Some producers have their own plantations to guarantee constant quality. Tara tannin derivatives are being proposed as

antifouling Biofouling or biological fouling is the accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae, or small animals where it is not wanted on surfaces such as ship and submarine hulls, devices such as water inlets, pipework, grates, ponds, and rivers that ...

against marine organisms that can grow on ship hulls.N. Bellotti, B. Del Amo, R. Romagnoli
''Caesalpinia spinosa tannin derivatives for antifouling formulations''
Procedia Materials Science, Volume 1, 2012, pp. 259-265. 11th International Congress on Metallurgy & Materials SAM/CONAMET 2011. Those tannins are of the hydrolysable type.

Gallic acid Gallic acid (also known as 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid) is a trihydroxybenzoic acid with the formula C6 H2( OH)3CO2H. It is classified as a phenolic acid. It is found in gallnuts, sumac, witch hazel, tea leaves, oak bark, and other plants. I ...

is the main constituent of tara tannins (53%) and can be easily isolated by alkaline

hydrolysis Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water is the nucleophile. Biological hydrolys ...

of the plant extract.

Quinic acid Quinic acid is a cyclitol, a cyclic polyol, and a cyclohexanecarboxylic acid. It is a colorless solid that can be extracted from plant sources. Quinic acid is implicated in the perceived acidity of coffee. Occurrence and preparation The compound ...

is also a constituent of the tara tannins.S. Giovando, A. Pizzi, H. Pasch and N. Pretorius
''Structure and Oligomers Distribution of Commercial Tara (Caesalpina spinosa) Hydrolysable Tannin''
PRO LIGNO Vol. 9 N° 1 2013, pp. 22-31, ISSN-L 1841-4737, ONLINE ISSN 2069-7430. Its tannines are colourless or light making them suitable a pre

mordant A mordant or dye fixative is a substance used to set (i.e. bind) dyes on fabrics by forming a coordination complex with the dye, which then attaches to the fabric (or tissue). It may be used for dyeing fabrics or for intensifying stains in ...

in the dyeing of cotton and other cellulose fibres. The tree can also be a source of lumber and firewood, and as a live fence. The seeds can be used to produce black dye, while dark blue dye can be obtained from the roots.

Food additive

Tara gum is a white or beige, nearly odorless powder that is produced by separating and grinding the endosperm of ''T. spinosa'' seeds. Tara gum consists of a linear main chain of (1-4)-β-D-mannopyranose units attached by (1-6) linkages with α-D-galactopyranose units.TARA GUM''
Prepared at the 30th JECFA (1986), published in FNP 37 (1986) and in FNP 52 (1992). Metals and arsenic specifications revised at the 57th JECFA (2001). The major component of the gum is a

galactomannan Galactomannans are polysaccharides consisting of a mannose backbone with galactose side groups, more specifically, a (1-4)-linked beta-D-mannopyranose backbone with branchpoints from their 6-positions linked to alpha-D-galactose, (i.e. 1-6-linke ...

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

similar to the main components of

guar The guar or cluster bean, with the botanical name ''Cyamopsis tetragonoloba'', is an annual legume and the source of guar gum. It is also known as gavar, gawar, or guvar bean. The origin of ''Cyamopsis tetragonoloba'' is unknown, since it has ...

and locust bean gums that are used widely in the food industry. The ratio of mannose to galactose in tara gum is 3:1.W. Sittikijyothin, D. Torres, M.P. Gonçalves
''Modelling the rheological behaviour of galactomannan aqueous solutions''
Carbohydrate Polymers, Volume 59, Issue 3, pp 339–350, 18 February 2005. Tara gum has been deemed safe for human consumption as a food additive. Tara gum is used as a

thickening agent A thickening agent or thickener is a substance which can increase the viscosity of a liquid without substantially changing its other properties. Edible thickeners are commonly used to thicken sauces, soups, and puddings without altering the ...

and stabilizer in a number of food applications. A solution of tara gum is less viscous than a

guar gum Guar gum, also called guaran, is a galactomannan polysaccharide extracted from guar beans that has thickening and stabilizing properties useful in food, feed, and industrial applications. The guar seeds are mechanically dehusked, hydrated, mil ...

solution of the same concentration, but more viscous than a solution of

locust bean gum Locust bean gum (LBG, carob gum, carob bean gum, carobin, E410) is a galactomannan vegetable gum extracted from the seeds of the carob tree and used as a thickening agent (gelling agent) in food technology. Production Locust bean gum is extr ...

. Furthermore, tara gum shows an intermediate acid stability between locust bean gum and guar gum. It resists the depolymerisation effect of organic acids down to a pH of 3.5. This gum is also stable to high-temperature treatment, up to 145 °C in a continuous process plant. Blends of tara with modified and unmodified starches can be produced which have enhanced stabilization and emulsification properties, and these are used in the preparation of convenience foods, such as

ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...

. One example is the American ice cream brand

Breyers Breyers is a brand of ice cream started in 1866 by William A. Breyer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. History In 1866, William A. Breyer began to produce and sell iced cream in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, first from his home, and later via hor ...

. The European food additive number for tara gum is E417. Tara gum is listed on the Canadian List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents (Lists of Permitted Food Additives) as item T.2B. On July 19, 2022, the food company Daily Harvest identified tara flour as the ingredient that had sickened hundreds of its customers. A handful of lawsuits have been filed against the company.

Medicinal

Medicinal uses in Peru include gargling infusions of the pods for inflamed tonsils or washing wounds; it is also used for fevers, colds, and stomach aches. Water from boiled, dried pods is also used to kill fleas and other insects.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q289651 Caesalpinieae Trees of Peru E-number additives