Licorice Liquid Extract
Licorice liquid extract is the aqueous or hydroalcoholic extract of licorice root, from Glycyrrhiza glabra, Glycyrrhiza uralensis or Glycyrrhiza inflata, sold as a liquid or as a semi-solid block rather than being dried to a powder. It is the oldest commercial form of the ingredient and remains the one used wherever the water content is an advantage and the drying step would only add cost and heat exposure.
The sweetness comes from glycyrrhizin, the salt of the triterpene saponin glycyrrhizic acid, which is roughly fifty times as sweet as sucrose with a slow onset and a long, lingering finish. The extract also carries the flavonoid fraction, liquiritin, isoliquiritin and glabridin among others, polysaccharides, sugars and a small volatile fraction responsible for the sweet anise-like note.
Physically the product spans a range of solids. Fluid extract at 20 to 40 percent solids is a dark brown pourable liquid. Block extract, the traditional form, is concentrated to 70 to 80 percent solids and sets into a hard, glossy, almost black mass that has to be broken up and redissolved in hot water before use. Glycyrrhizin is freely soluble in warm water and in alkaline solution but precipitates as the free acid at low pH, so licorice liquid extract clouds and settles out in acidic beverages unless the ammoniated form is used. Liquid grades need refrigeration, a preservative or aseptic packing, since the high sugar content supports mould growth at the surface.
We source bulk Licorice Liquid Extract from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Henan. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Function
- Plant extract
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Botanical Source | Glycyrrhiza species, dried root and stolon |
| Appearance | Dark brown viscous liquid |
| Total Solids | 30.0 to 40.0% |
| Glycyrrhizin by HPLC | ≥ 6.0% on the material as supplied |
| Identification | Conforms by TLC and HPLC to reference extract |
| pH of 10% Dilution | 4.5 to 6.5 |
| Ash on Dry Basis | ≤ 10.0% |
| Residual Solvent (Ethanol) | ≤ 5,000 mg/kg |
| Lead | ≤ 2.0 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | ≤ 1.0 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | ≤ 1,000 cfu/g |
| Yeast and Mould | ≤ 100 cfu/g |
| E. coli | Negative in 1 g |
| Salmonella | Negative in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
The trade divides on solids content and physical state. Fluid extract at 20 to 40 percent solids is specified on degrees Brix or total solids and on glycyrrhizin content; soft or thick extract at 55 to 70 percent solids is a viscous paste; block or stick extract at 70 to 80 percent solids is a solid mass sold in cast blocks. Glycyrrhizin assay is quoted across all three, commonly at 4 to 12 percent on the material as supplied, which corresponds to much higher figures on a dry basis.
Extraction solvent is stated, water or aqueous ethanol, and ammoniated grades, made by extracting or treating with dilute ammonia to convert the free acid to its more soluble ammonium salt, are traded separately because they behave quite differently at acid pH. Deglycyrrhizinated liquid extract, with the saponin removed and the flavonoid fraction retained, is a separate line. Clarified and filtered grades are specified for beverage work, while unfiltered grades carrying suspended solids are acceptable for tobacco and confectionery. Whether a preservative has been added, and which one, is part of the specification for the liquid grades.
Applications
- Tobacco casing, the largest historical outlet, where the block and fluid grades are dissolved and sprayed onto leaf
- Licorice confectionery, pastilles and salted licorice, where the block extract is melted into the sugar and starch mass
- Cough syrups, linctuses and throat preparations, where a liquid active blends directly into the syrup base
- Herbal tinctures and oral liquid supplements in a hydroalcoholic base
- Brewing, particularly stouts and dark beers, where licorice adds body, colour and a long sweet finish
- Soy sauce, savoury seasonings and prepared sauces, used as a flavour modifier and sweetener
- Traditional Chinese decoction products reformulated as a stable transportable liquid
- Beverage and bitters formulation, where the sweet-woody note supports anise and root beer profiles
- Feedstock for spray drying, where a bought-in liquid concentrate is dried locally to powder
Brands Using Licorice Liquid Extract
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Licorice Liquid Extract on the ingredient label.
- Oregon's Wild HarvestLicorice, Organic Extract ↗A 1 oz alcohol based liquid herbal extract made from certified organic licorice root and sold as a single herb tincture.Label verified 2026-08-31
- Urban MoonshineThroat Spray ↗A cane alcohol herbal extract spray whose proprietary blend lists organic licorice root with sage leaf, spilanthes and usnea.Label verified 2026-08-31
- Eclectic InstituteLung & Respiratory Support Extract ↗A liquid herbal extract that names licorice root among its respiratory herbs alongside lomatium, elecampane, yarrow and lemon balm.Label verified 2026-08-31
- Double Wood SupplementsAdrenal Support Drops ↗A liquid drops formula of ten herbal extracts in which licorice root is one of the named herbs.Label verified 2026-08-31
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Licorice Liquid Extract
Top Licorice Liquid Extract 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 licorice and licorice derivatives, including licorice extract, ammoniated glycyrrhizin and monoammonium glycyrrhizinate, are affirmed as generally recognised as safe for use as flavouring agents in 21 CFR 184.1408, which lists the permitted forms and the food categories and levels at which they may be used. The regulation frames these as flavouring agents rather than as general purpose sweeteners, which limits use levels in practice. Liquid extracts sold into supplements are dietary ingredients under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, manufactured under 21 CFR Part 111.
In the European Union licorice is an established food and is recognised as a source of natural flavouring under Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008. The food information Regulation imposes specific labelling on the finished product: confectionery and beverages containing glycyrrhizinic acid or its ammonium salt above defined thresholds must state that the product contains liquorice, and beverages above a higher threshold must additionally carry a warning for people with high blood pressure. These obligations are the reason the glycyrrhizin figure on a liquid extract certificate is watched so closely by formulators. Any preservative added to a liquid grade is controlled under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 and must be declared. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and the European Food Safety Authority have both reviewed glycyrrhizinic acid, and the European Pharmacopoeia carries monographs for liquorice root, for liquorice ethanolic liquid extract and for liquorice dry extract.
Manufacturing Process
Production starts with dried licorice root and stolon, cleaned, inspected and chipped or coarsely milled. Extraction is by countercurrent percolation with hot water in a battery of vessels, so that fresh solvent meets the most exhausted root and the strongest liquor meets fresh root, which is what allows a high solids liquor to be drawn without excessive water use. Where an ammoniated grade is being made, dilute aqueous ammonia is used in place of plain water, converting glycyrrhizic acid to the ammonium salt as it is extracted and raising both recovery and solubility.
The liquor is screened and filtered to remove root fibre, then clarified. Some plants acidify the liquor so that crude glycyrrhizin precipitates, wash the precipitate and redissolve it, which both purifies the extract and provides a point at which the assay can be adjusted. Concentration is carried out in a falling film or forced circulation evaporator under vacuum at 50 to 60 degrees Celsius, and the process stops at the solids content the grade calls for. Fluid extract is standardised by blending, filtered, and either hot filled, aseptically filled or dosed with a permitted preservative before being drummed. Block extract is concentrated much further in a finishing pan, then cast into moulds or extruded into sticks and allowed to cool and harden before wrapping. Spent root is pressed, dried and used as fuel or as a fibre by-product.
