The report provides a detailed analysis essential for establishing a Glycyrrhizin production plant. It encompasses all critical aspects necessary for Glycyrrhizin production, including the cost of Glycyrrhizin production, Glycyrrhizin plant cost, Glycyrrhizin production costs, and the overall Glycyrrhizin production plant cost. Additionally, the study covers specific expenditures associated with setting up and operating a Glycyrrhizin production plant. These encompass production processes, raw material requirements, utility requirements, infrastructure needs, machinery and technology requirements, manpower requirements, packaging requirements, transportation requirements, and more.
Glycyrrhizin is a triterpenoid saponin derived from liquorice root. It is utilised in food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and tobacco sectors due to its intense sweetness (30-50 times that of sucrose), foaming, emulsifying, and stabilising properties because of its amphiphilic structure. It functions as a natural sweetener, flavour enhancer, and bitterness masker in confectionery, soft drinks, chewing gum, and herbal products, also providing foam stability in certain formulations.
It acts as an active ingredient and excipient in anti-inflammatory, antiviral, hepatoprotective, and anti-ulcer drugs to improve drug solubility and bioavailability through complex formation. It is also used in treatments for liver conditions, respiratory issues, and skin disorders. In the cosmetics and personal care sector, glycyrrhizin functions as a soothing, anti-irritant agent in creams, gels, toothpastes, and mouthwashes, often in liquorice extracts for skin brightening and conditioning. Additionally, it enhances tobacco flavour by reducing harshness in cigarettes and chewing products, and supports niche uses as a natural foaming agent in technical applications.
Glycyrrhizin market growth is driven by the rising demand for natural, plant-based ingredients in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food & beverages, and functional foods, fuelled by consumer preferences for clean-label products with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, and skin-brightening properties. The global rise in the adoption of herbal remedies from traditional systems like Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine boosts its market growth. Its expanding use in skincare for anti-ageing and hyperpigmentation reduction, immune support supplements, respiratory medicines, and gastrointestinal treatments (especially deglycyrrhizinated forms for safety) also contributes to its demand.
Additionally, pharmaceutical-grade purity standards and innovations in extraction methods, like water processing, propel its market. Moreover, the extraction method influences industrial glycyrrhizin procurement costs and quality, with water extraction preferred for its safety, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability in producing low-impurity products suitable for clean-label and organic certifications. Furthermore, variability in active ingredient content due to environmental factors (soil, climate, altitude) and liquorice species differentiation between wild and cultivated sources further impacts the overall procurement.
Raw Material for Glycyrrhizin Production
According to the Glycyrrhizin production plant project report, the various raw materials for Glycyrrhizin production include liquorice roots (Glycyrrhiza glabra or G. uralensis).
Production Process of Glycyrrhizin
The extensive Glycyrrhizin production cost report consists of the following major industrial production process:
- Production via extraction: The production process of Glycyrrhizin begins with pulverising liquorice roots (Glycyrrhiza glabra or G. uralensis) and extracting via warm water soaking (30-45 degree Celsius for 6-36 hours). The next step involves concentrating the leachate into acid powder, followed by ethanol extraction and ammoniation to precipitate triammonium glycyrrhizinate, which is filtered and acidified with glacial acetic acid to yield monoammonium glycyrrhizinate crude. Finally, the monoammonium glycyrrhizinate crude is purified via ethanol recrystallisation with activated carbon, cooling, and filtration to >96% purity. The purified salt is dissolved, and the pH is adjusted to ~2-3 with mineral acid (e.g., HCl or sulfuric acid), precipitating Glycyrrhizin for collection.
Properties of Glycyrrhizin
Glycyrrhizin, chemically known as (20β-carboxy-11-oxo-30-norolean-12-en-3β-yl)-2-O-β-D-glucopyranuronosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid, has the molecular formula C42H62O16 and a molecular weight of 822.94 g/mol. It appears as a white to light yellow solid with a mild spicy, liquorice-like odour and taste. It has a melting point of 220 degree Celsius (decomposing above 200 degree Celsius), an estimated boiling point of 681 degree Celsius, and a density of 1.14 g/cm³. It is highly soluble in hot water, slightly soluble in ethanol, DMSO, methanol, and pyridine, but sparingly in cold water, with a logP of 2.8 indicating moderate lipophilicity. It is a triterpenoid saponin having amphiphilic properties from its glycyrrhetinic acid aglycone and two glucuronic acid moieties. It has a pKa of 2.76, specific optical rotation [+46.2° (c=1.5, ethanol)], polar surface area of 267 Ų, and seven rotatable bonds. It is hygroscopic, stable above pH 4.5, and unsuitable for low-pH formulations without precipitation.