The rhodanine assay

The contents of the ampule are diluted in water to a final volume of 50 mL. A 1-mL sample is then taken for the assay. To this sample 1.5 mL 0.667% (w/v) rhodanine in methanol is added. After exactly 5 min. 1 mL 0.5N KOH is added. After 2.5 min. water is added to a final volume of 25 mL. The absorbance is read at 520 nm after a 5-10 min. incubation. A standard curve is made by reaction of gallic acid in 0.2N sulfuric acid with the rhodanine solution. Hagerman and Butler (1989) argued that this assay is more suitable than the potassium iodate assay for the determination of hydrolysable tannins, although it has to be kept in mind that the rhodanine assay is sensitive to any gallic acid ester, including those in non-tannin compounds. 

A helpful review of the different methods for the analysis of tannins and the rationale for choosing one over the other was presented by Hagerman and Butler (1989). They also pointed out that it was critical to choose a suitable standard to compare the experimental data with. Given the 

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Other analytical assays proposed for the quantification of hydrolyzable tannins in plant materials include the rhodanine assay for the estimation of gallotannins (Berardini and others 2004) and sodium nitrate for the quantitative determination of ellagic acid (Wilson and Flagerman 1990). 

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