Tara

Tara spinosa typically grows 2–5 m (6.6–16.4 ft) tall; its bark is dark gray with scattered prickles and hairy twigs. Leaves are alternate, evergreen, lacking stipules, bipinnate, and lacking petiolar and rachis glands. Leaves consist of three to ten pairs of primary leaflets under 8 cm (3.1 in) in length, and five to seven pairs of subsessile elliptic secondary leaflets, each about 1.5–4 cm (0.6–2 in) long. Inflorescences are 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 in) long terminal racemes, many flowered and covered in tiny hairs. Flowers are yellow to orange with 6- to 7-mm petals; the lowest sepal is boat-shaped with many long marginal teeth; stamens are yellow, irregular in length and barely protruding. The fruit is a flat, oblong indehiscent pod, about 6–12 cm (2.4–4.7 in) long and 2.5 cm (0.98 in) wide, containing four to seven round black seeds, which redden when mature.

Tara 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 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 (9,800 ft) 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 (16 in) 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.

Major food additives derived from T. spinosa include tara flour, which is potentially toxic, and tara gum, commonly used as a thickener and stabilizer. Tara flour is produced from the germ (embryo) of the tara seed, while gum is produced from the seed's endosperm.

Tara flour toxicity in humans. At least 393 people who had consumed Daily Harvest’s "French Lentil and Leek Crumbles” in April-June 2022 became ill with signs of gastrointestinal disease and hepatotoxicity. Signs of toxicity occurred within 4-12 hours after ingestion and included abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. In some people clinical signs were severe enough to result in visits to the emergency department and hospitalisation with cholecystectomy performed. On July 19, 2022, the food company Daily Harvest had identified tara flour, which is derived from the seeds of Tara spinosa, as the ingredient that had sickened hundreds of its customers. The manufacturer removed the product from the market in June 2022 and no more cases were identified. Further analysis found Daily Harvest’s "French Lentil and Leek Crumbles” was free of contamination with known toxic compounds including microbial or viral pathogens, mycotoxins, allergens, heavy metals, and pesticides. However, one of the major ingredients was tara flour which contained several suspect non-protein amino acids including baikiain at 3% dry weight. …