Glycyrrhizin production

Ammonium glycyrrhizinate [53956-04-0] (AG), C42H N02g, is a flavor enhancer derived from Hcorice root. It is approximately 50 times sweeter than sucrose and is often used to enhance sweetness in a wide variety of food products (56). Maltol [118-71 -8] C H O, and ethyl maltol [4940-11-8], CyHgO, are used as flavor enhancers in products such as cake mixes, confections, cookies, ice cream, fmit juices, puddings, and beverages (57). 

Sweeteners can be roughly divided into two groups bulk and intense sweeteners. Prodolliet (1996) and Gloria (2000) reviewed thoroughly the analysis and properties of intense sweeteners acesulfame-K, alitame, cyclamate, aspartame, glycyrrhizin, neohesperidin DC, saccharin, stevioside, sucralose and thaumatin. They are generally used in low calorie products such as diet... 

The major sweet principle of licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), glycyrrhizin (1) (content 4%), has been used as a sweetener and flavor enhancer in foods, tobacco products, and in medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent (Fig. 4). 

Similar to the challenges outlined in Chapter 2, the fact that most Chinese herbal medicines are complex mixtures of multiple active constituents further complicates the interpretation of study data, as well as extrapolation to other botanical products. Japanese Kampo (traditional Chinese herbal mixtures) prescriptions have been used for many years to treat different chronic conditions and are presently manufactured in Japan as drugs with standardized quantities and qualities of constituents. Homma et al. (51) evaluated the effect of three commonly used Japanese Kampo prescriptions, Sho-saiko-to (Xiao Chai Hu Tang), Saiboku-to, and Sairei-to, on prednisolone pharmacokinetics in humans. All three botanical prescriptions contain glycyrrhizin, a strong inhibitor of 11-p-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Chen et al. (52) had shown that glycyrrhizin decreased plasma clearance and increased AUC and concentration of prednisolone. 

EA Spinks, GR Fenwick. The determination of glycyrrhizin in selected UK liquorice products. Food Addit Contam 7(6) 679-778, 1990. 

WJ Hurst, JM McKim, RA Jr Martin. High performance liquid chromatographic determination of glycyrrhizin in licorice products. J Agric Food Chem 31(2) 387-389, 1983. 

Glycyrrhizin may exhibit antiviral effects. It has been shown to protect mice exposed to a lethal dose of influenza virus (Utsunomiya et al., 1997). This effect may be produced through the stimulation of interferon-y production by T cells (Abe et al., 1982 Utsinomiya et al., 1997). Glycyrrhizin also demonstrated an ability to inhibit the replication of varicella-zoster virus in human embryonic fibroblasts in vitro (Baba and Shigeta, 1987). 

Ingestion of glycyrrhizin-containing products can also lead to myopathy, rhabdomyolysis, acute renal failure and death. In one atypical case (Saito et al.,... 

The contraindications and precautions listed above apply to products that contain the compound glycyrrhizin and not to deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) products. 

Licorice contains approximately 1 to 7% of the compound glycyrrhizin (Kondo et al. 2007). Many commercial products are standardized to 12% glycyrrhizin, and the European Pharmacopoeia specifies that licorice root should contain a minimum of 4% glycyrrhizin (Council of Europe 2001). 

Kuramoto, T., Y. Ito, M. Oda, Y. Tamura, and S. Kitahara Microbial Production of Glycyrrhetic Acid 3-0-Mono-(3-D-glucuronide from Glycyrrhizin by Cryptococcus magnus MG-27. Biosci. Biotech. Biochem. (Japan), 58, 455 (1994). 

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