Abstract

Analysis were carried out on the tannins extract following the official method of analysis by the society of leather technologist and chemist (SLTC), 1996. The tannins from Piliostigma thonningii pods was characterized to determine the class and tanning ability of the tannin. The characterization showed that the tannin was of the hydrolysable class of tannins with a pH of 4.6. Other parameters include: tannin content (24.4 %), the non-tannin content (9.8 %), total soluble matter (35.2 %), tannin strength (2.5 %) and the tannin purity (0.7 %); all of which were typical of vegetable tanning materials that can effectively combine with collagen stabilizing it into a material called leather.