Licorice Root Powder

Roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, the Chinese licorice, are cleaned, dried and milled into a yellow powder that tastes intensely sweet, with a slightly bitter, woody finish. Only the underground part is used, so the leaf, flower and pod are not in the material.

Licorice root powder is supplied at 80 mesh, with 40, 60 and 100 mesh optional, and has a sweet, earthy odor with a lingering, sweet-bitter taste. It is raw milled root rather than an extract, so inclusion rates are higher and the fibrous, yellow-brown character of the root stays in the product.

SKU: BOT-BPO-0057 Category: Botanical Powders Tags: Bakery & Snacks, Botanical Powders, Dry Blends & Premixes, Licorice, Milled Powder, Root & Rhizome

Glycyrrhiza uralensis Raw Material & Plant Part

The botanical name is Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. ex DC., family Fabaceae, known as Chinese licorice or gan cao. The raw material is the dried root and rhizome of the perennial, harvested from mature plants, trimmed, dried and milled. The bark is often left on, which adds to the yellow-brown tint of the powder.

Licorice is not a single species. Glycyrrhiza glabra is the European and Mediterranean licorice, and Glycyrrhiza inflata is another species used in Central Asia and in Chinese pharmacopoeial practice. They share a name and a sweet taste, but differ in their flavonoid profile, and the species name is therefore part of the identification. Licorice candy flavor, by contrast, often comes from aniseed, a different plant altogether.

The sweetness of the root comes from glycyrrhizin, a triterpenoid saponin that tastes far sweeter than sugar and lingers in the mouth. The yellow color comes from flavonoids such as liquiritin and isoliquiritin. These are traits of the plant, not levels for this powder, and glycyrrhizin intake is limited by rules in several markets, so formulators check local limits at the finished-product level.

The perennial is dug after several years of growth, and the roots are washed, sliced and dried before milling. The inner wood of the root is bright yellow and the bark is brown, so the powder is yellow with brown flecks when the bark is left on.

Licorice Root Powder vs Extract

Form	What It Is	Choose It When
Licorice Root Powder	Milled dried root with its fiber	Whole-root sweetness and body in dry blends
Licorice Root Extract Powder	Water-extracted root with the fiber removed	A soluble, sweeter format at lower weight
Licorice Extract 20% Glycyrrhizic Acid	Root extract standardized to glycyrrhizic acid	A defined saponin content is required
Glycyrrhiza Polysaccharide Powder	Purified polysaccharide fraction of the root	A polysaccharide ingredient is wanted

The root powder carries its sweet saponin, flavonoids, starch and fiber together at their natural, lower concentration. It contributes sweetness and a woody, earthy base, and the powder only disperses in liquids, leaving a fine yellow suspension.

The extract powder concentrates the sweet and soluble fraction, so it sweetens more per gram and dissolves more cleanly. The standardized extract is selected for its defined glycyrrhizic acid content and the polysaccharide powder is a fractionated ingredient. Choose the root powder when the whole root, its mild sweetness and its texture are part of the specification.

Sweetness delivery differs between the forms. Licorice root powder gives a slow, lingering sweetness, while the extract powder delivers it faster and with less fiber. Because the saponin is diluted by the root fiber, the whole-root powder tastes less sweet per gram than the extract, yet it brings the woody, earthy base that many herbal recipes want.

Typical Specifications

Specification Item	Product Information
Latin Name	Glycyrrhiza uralensis
Plant Part	Root & Rhizome
Processing	Milled
Common Name	Licorice, Chinese licorice, gan cao
Raw Material	Dried root and rhizome
Ingredient Type	Milled Powder
Appearance	Yellow powder (natural color of the dried material)
Odor & Taste	Sweet, earthy odor; sweet-bitter, lingering taste
Solubility / Dispersibility	Water Dispersible
Quality Parameters
Moisture (LOD)	≤8.0%
Particle Size	80 mesh (40 / 60 / 100 mesh optional)
Heavy Metals	Lead ≤2 ppm · Arsenic ≤1 ppm · Cadmium ≤1 ppm · Mercury ≤0.1 ppm
Microbiology	TPC ≤10,000 cfu/g · Yeast & Mold ≤1,000 cfu/g · E. coli Negative · Salmonella Negative/25 g
Shelf Life	24 months in unopened original packaging, cool and dry storage

Application Areas

Herbal tea and decoction blends

Licorice root powder rounds off bitter herbal blends with its natural sweetness. In tea bags the coarser 40 or 60 mesh grade stays in the filter, and a small share is enough, since the sweetness lingers and builds with the infusion time.

Sweetening for dry herbal mixes

Dry herbal and spice mixes use the root as a mild, plant-based sweetener. The sweetness is slow to appear and long to fade, so it differs from sugar, and the mix is tasted after resting to judge the final balance.

Confectionery and lozenge bases

Confectionery and lozenge bases use the powder for sweetness and a dark yellow tint. The saponin foams when shaken in water, so cooking stages are controlled to limit foaming, and local limits on the finished product are checked.

Capsule and tablet blends

Fills use the powder to sweeten the taste and add bulk to stronger botanicals. The woody fiber compresses with a binder, and the sweet taste helps mask bitter partners in chewable formats. A small share of licorice root powder also rounds off a bitter botanical blend.

Handling & Blending Notes

Licorice root is fibrous and tough, so the milled powder has a coarse, stringy character that flows moderately well when dry but cakes slowly in humid air. Barrier bags and quick resealing prevent lumps, and the fiber tends to bridge in narrow hoppers, so a gentle vibration or wide outlet helps.

The saponin makes the powder foam. Stirring it into water, especially warm water, creates a persistent froth that complicates filling and mixing, so the powder is added with low-shear mixing or premixed with sugar before dispersing. Dust is mildly irritating when airborne, and local extraction at weighing points keeps it out of the air.

Mesh follows the use. The 80 mesh grade suits capsules and dry blends, 40 and 60 mesh suit infusion bags, and 100 mesh disperses better but foams faster. The sweetness is intense enough that small amounts of licorice root powder dominate a blend, so trial blends are built from low inclusion rates upward. Opened packs are kept sealed, cool and dry, away from strong odors that the fibrous powder could absorb. The container is kept closed and the scoop dry, because moisture and odor, not metal contact, are the main risks to the powder.

Packaging & Commercial Supply

Essencefield supports product evaluation, formulation trials, commercial orders, and ongoing ingredient supply. Packaging, storage, and shipping arrangements are determined by product characteristics, order quantity, stability requirements, and destination-market needs.

Supply Item	General Information
Sample	Available upon request for formulation, testing, and supplier evaluation
Order Quantities	100 g · 1 kg · 5 kg · 25 kg · 100 kg · 500 kg · Bulk
Sample Lead Time	Typically 5–7 days after sample confirmation
Production Lead Time	Typically 15–30 days after order and specification confirmation
Packaging	Suitable protective inner packaging with bags, cartons, drums, or other appropriate outer packaging
Storage	Store in tightly sealed, suitable protective packaging in a cool, dry environment. Protect from moisture, heat, and direct sunlight. Specific storage conditions follow the approved product specification.
Documentation	COA · Product Specification · TDS · SDS · Applicable declarations (as applicable)

Final order quantities, lead times, packaging, documentation, and shipping arrangements are confirmed according to the selected product and commercial requirements.