Abstract:
Ecological concerns emanating from the use of inorganic tanning agents in leather processing have been on the rise,
leading to increased research on alternative tanning agents. This study aimed at determining the tannin content in selected
banana leaf midrib samples and their tanning strengths. Soxhlet method was used to extract the tannins from the banana leaf
midrib samples. Different solvents were investigated in order to determine the best candidate for the extraction of tannins.
Chemical tests were used to determine the nature of tannins present in the selected banana species. Hide powder method made it
possible to quantify the tannins present and their tanning strength. The extracted samples were further analyzed using FTIR to
establish the functional groups present. Highest yields were obtained using distilled water as solvent at 14.51 ± 0.17% and 7.14
± 0.15% for sweet banana species (Musa sapentium Linn.) and ‘Muraru’ (AA genome) midribs respectively. Musa sapentium
Linn. and ‘Muraru’ (AA genome) midrib tannins had tannin content of 11.71 ± 0.33% and 6.36 ± 0.19% respectively from the
hide powder method. Both species had a tanning strength greater than the recommended minimum value of 1.5. However, the
data from the study showed that only sweet banana leaf midrib tannins can be commercially viable in leather tanning since they
have a tannin content above the required minimum value (>10%).