Licorice Extract Block
Licorice extract block is the traditional solid form of licorice root extract, produced by boiling down an aqueous extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra or Glycyrrhiza uralensis root until it sets into a hard, glossy, almost black mass that is cast into bars, blocks or sticks. It is the oldest article of the licorice trade and predates the spray-dried powders that now dominate industrial use.
The sweetness comes from glycyrrhizin, the triterpene saponin also called glycyrrhizic acid, which is present at roughly 4 to 12 percent in the block depending on the root and the concentration ratio, and which is many times sweeter than sucrose with a slow onset and a long-lasting liquorice sweetness that lingers. The block also carries flavonoids including liquiritin and isoliquiritigenin, polysaccharides, and the sugars and salts that come across in a whole water extract, so it tastes and behaves differently from purified glycyrrhizin.
The material is brittle and glassy when cold, softens and becomes tacky when warm, and is hygroscopic. It dissolves slowly in hot water to a dark brown solution; solubility is poor in cold water and improves under slight alkalinity, and glycyrrhizin precipitates in strongly acidic solution, which limits its use in low pH drinks.
We source bulk Licorice Extract Block from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturers are in Qinghai and Jiangsu. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Plant extract
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Hard glossy black to dark brown cast block, brittle when cold |
| Botanical source | Root of Glycyrrhiza glabra or Glycyrrhiza uralensis |
| Glycyrrhizin (HPLC) | 8.0 percent minimum |
| Identification | HPLC and HPTLC profile conform to licorice root extract reference |
| Total solids | 80.0 percent minimum |
| Moisture | 18.0 percent maximum |
| Matter insoluble in hot water | 5.0 percent maximum |
| Total ash | 10.0 percent maximum |
| pH (2 percent aqueous solution) | 4.5 to 6.5 |
| Lead | 2.0 mg/kg maximum |
| Arsenic | 1.0 mg/kg maximum |
| Total plate count | 10000 cfu/g maximum |
| Escherichia coli | Absent in 1 g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
The block is graded chiefly on glycyrrhizin content and on how much of the extract is soluble. Commercial blocks run from about 4 percent glycyrrhizin for a general confectionery and tobacco grade up to 10 or 12 percent for a purer article, and moisture is specified because it decides whether the block stays hard in storage. Colour, gloss and the absence of gritty insolubles are assessed visually against a retained sample.
Physical formats are the second distinction. Cast blocks and bars are the traditional article, while sticks, pellets and broken block are sold where the buyer wants something easier to weigh and dissolve. The related grades traded alongside are spray-dried licorice extract powder, which is more convenient and has largely replaced block in food manufacturing, deglycyrrhizinated licorice for applications where the saponin is unwanted, and purified monoammonium glycyrrhizinate for use as a sweetener and flavour enhancer. Buyers should specify the species, since Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Glycyrrhiza glabra differ in flavonoid profile.
Applications
- Liquorice confectionery, where the block is dissolved and combined with sugar, flour and gelatine as the flavour and colour base
- Tobacco casing, historically the largest single outlet for block extract, contributing sweetness and moisture retention
- Herbal cough syrups, lozenges and throat preparations
- Brewing and dark beverage manufacture for colour and a sweet root note
- Savoury sauces and marinades in East Asian cooking, where the sweetness balances salt
- Flavour enhancement in confectionery and beverages, where glycyrrhizin lengthens and rounds other sweeteners
- Traditional decoction and compounded herbal preparations
- Chewing tobacco and snuff formulations
- Feedstock for further processing into powdered extract and purified glycyrrhizinate
China Manufacturers of Licorice Extract Block
Top Licorice Extract Block manufacturers in China.
- Qinghai Lake Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.8 ingredients in the directory
Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone Hongyufeng Bio-Technology Co., Ltd.11 ingredients in the directory
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
Licorice and licorice derivatives have long-standing status in the United States. 21 CFR 184.1408 lists licorice, licorice extract and ammoniated glycyrrhizin as substances generally recognised as safe for use in food, sets out the permitted functional uses and includes maximum use levels for defined food categories, with higher limits allowed in liquorice confectionery than in most other foods. Licorice also appears among the natural flavouring substances. The FDA has issued consumer advice on the cardiovascular effects of eating large quantities of black liquorice, reflecting the potassium-lowering action of glycyrrhizin.
In the European Union licorice extract is used both as a food and as a flavouring, and glycyrrhizic acid and its ammonium salt are handled under the flavourings framework rather than as an additive with an E number. The labelling rule that matters most is the requirement that confectionery and beverages containing glycyrrhizic acid above defined thresholds carry a statement identifying the presence of liquorice and, at higher levels, a warning directed at people with hypertension. The European scientific committee has advised on an upper level of habitual glycyrrhizin intake. JECFA has evaluated glycyrrhizinic acid and its ammonium salt and Codex recognises them within the flavourings framework rather than assigning an additive number.
Manufacturing Process
Dried licorice root is cleaned of soil, inspected and cut or shredded to expose the interior. It is extracted with hot water in a countercurrent battery over several stages, since glycyrrhizin and the accompanying sugars are water soluble and the woody fibre is not. The combined liquor is screened and settled, and in most plants it is filtered or centrifuged to remove suspended fibre and starch, though the traditional article is deliberately left with a fuller solids load, which is part of why block extract tastes rounder than a purified powder.
Concentration is the step that makes the block. The clarified liquor is evaporated, historically in open pans and now in multi-effect vacuum evaporators, until the solids reach roughly 75 to 80 percent and the mass becomes a thick plastic paste. It is then finished at higher temperature in a final kettle, which drives out the remaining moisture and develops the dark colour and glassy character, and is poured hot into moulds or extruded into sticks. The blocks are cooled slowly so they set without cracking, then trimmed, wrapped in film or foil and packed in cases, and they must be held cool and dry because the material is hygroscopic and will soften and stick together in warm storage.
