Touch: Astringency

Astringency is neither a taste nor an aroma, but a tactile sensation: that dry, puckery, rough feeling that follows a sip of strong tea or red wine, or a bite into an unripe banana or peach. It is caused by a group of phenolic compounds consisting of 3 to 5 carbon rings, which are just the right size to span two or more normally separate protein molecules, bond to them, and hold them together. These phenolics are called tannins because they have been used since prehistory to tan animal hides into tough leather by bonding with the skin proteins. The sensation of astringency is caused when tannins bond to proteins in our saliva, which normally provide lubrication and help food particles slide smoothly along the mouth surfaces. Tannins cause the proteins to clump together and stick to particles and surfaces, increasing the friction between them. Tannins are another of the plant kingdom’s chemical defenses. They counteract bacteria and fungi by interfering with their surface proteins, and deter plant-eating animals by their astringency and by interfering with digestive enzymes. Tannins are most often found in immature fruit (to prevent their consumption before the seeds are viable), in the skins of nuts, and in plant parts strongly pigmented with anthocyanins, phenolic molecules that turn out to be the right size to cross-link proteins. Redleaf lettuces, for example, are noticeably more astringent than green.