D-Glucuronic Acid
D-Glucuronic acid is the uronic acid derived from D-glucose by oxidation of the primary alcohol at carbon six to a carboxylic acid, with the formula C6H10O7 and CAS number 6556-12-3.
It occurs widely in nature as a building block rather than as a free sugar. It forms the alternating unit in hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulphate and heparin, appears in plant gums such as gum arabic and xanthan, and serves in animals as the conjugating agent in phase two hepatic metabolism, where glucuronidation makes lipophilic compounds water soluble for excretion. That last role is the basis of the detoxification positioning used in supplement marketing.
It is a white to off-white crystalline powder that is freely soluble in water, slightly soluble in ethanol and practically insoluble in non-polar solvents, giving a mildly acidic solution with a sour, faintly sweet taste. In aqueous solution it exists in equilibrium with its intramolecular ester, D-glucurono-3,6-lactone, and the position of that equilibrium shifts with pH and temperature, which is why the two are handled as related but separately specified articles of trade. The solid is hygroscopic and is packed with desiccant.
We source bulk D-Glucuronic Acid from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Anhui. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Nutraceutical
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | White to off-white crystalline powder |
| Identification | Infrared spectrum conforms to reference |
| Assay, dried basis | Not less than 98.0% |
| Specific Optical Rotation | Plus 11.0 to plus 13.0 degrees |
| Glucurono-3,6-lactone | Not more than 1.0% |
| Reducing Sugars as Glucose | Not more than 0.5% |
| Loss on Drying | Not more than 1.0% |
| pH, 1% solution | 2.5 to 4.0 |
| Residue on Ignition | Not more than 0.2% |
| Residual Ethanol | Not more than 0.5% |
| Lead | Not more than 1.0 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | Not more than 1.0 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | Not more than 1,000 CFU/g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
Supplement and food grade material assaying 98 percent or higher on the dried basis is the volume specification, with the optical rotation used to confirm the D configuration and a separate limit on the lactone content, since a lot that has partly lactonised will not analyse to the declared assay. Certificates state whether the material is the free acid or the lactone, because the two are often confused in the trade and are not interchangeable on a weight basis.
A pharmaceutical grade with tighter heavy metal, residual solvent and related substance limits is produced for use as a synthesis intermediate and for preparing glucuronide reference standards, and a high purity analytical grade is sold in small quantities for laboratory use. Beyond assay the practical variables are particle size, with a fine milled powder for capsules and dry blends and a granular grade for direct compression, and the sodium salt, which is traded separately where a neutral pH and better solution stability are wanted.
Applications
- Liver support and detoxification supplements, positioned on the glucuronidation pathway
- Energy drinks and sports formulations, where it is used alongside or in place of glucuronolactone
- Joint health products, as a component related to the glycosaminoglycan backbone
- Hangover and recovery formulations, blended with amino acids and B vitamins
- Synthesis intermediate for ascorbic acid and for glucuronide conjugate reference standards
- Cosmetic and skincare preparations, where the acid group holds moisture and gives mild exfoliation
- Fermentation media and microbial culture work requiring a defined uronic acid carbon source
- Analytical reference material in carbohydrate and glycosaminoglycan assay methods
China Manufacturers of D-Glucuronic Acid
Top D-Glucuronic Acid manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States, D-glucuronic acid is marketed as a dietary ingredient under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act rather than as an approved food additive, and a new dietary ingredient notification is the usual route where a pre-1994 history of use cannot be documented. The related lactone, glucuronolactone, has a longer history in energy drinks and has been the subject of its own regulatory review in several markets.
In the European Union, D-glucuronic acid is not an authorised food additive and carries no E number. Glucuronolactone is permitted in energy drinks under conditions set out in the labelling rules for those products, and a preparation of the free acid intended for supplement use is assessed against the novel food regulation where it lacks significant consumption in the Union before May 1997. Member state rules govern its placement in food supplements. There is no JECFA additive specification for the free acid, so buyers work to the manufacturer's monograph together with a full carbohydrate impurity profile by chromatography.
Manufacturing Process
Two routes carry the volume. The chemical oxidation route starts from starch derived glucose or from a protected glucose derivative and oxidises the C6 primary alcohol selectively while leaving the anomeric aldehyde untouched. Catalytic air oxidation over supported platinum or palladium at controlled pH is the modern approach, and nitroxyl radical mediated oxidation is used where higher selectivity is needed. The reaction liquor is filtered free of catalyst, decolourised on activated carbon and separated on ion exchange resin, which strips unreacted glucose and the gluconic and glucaric acid by-products that the oxidation also generates.
The hydrolytic route works from uronic acid rich polysaccharides instead. Plant gums, corn or citrus derived pectin, or microbial polysaccharides are hydrolysed under controlled acid or enzymatic conditions to release the constituent sugars, and the glucuronic acid is captured from the hydrolysate on anion exchange resin, which holds the acidic sugars while the neutral sugars pass through. Either way the purified eluate is concentrated under vacuum at low temperature to limit lactonisation, then crystallised by seeding and by the addition of ethanol as an antisolvent. Crystals are centrifuged, washed with chilled aqueous ethanol, dried under vacuum at low temperature, milled and sieved, then blended and packed with desiccant.
