Licorice and licorice derivatives
1407-03-0 · 53956-04-0 · Glycyrrhizic acid, ammoniated · (2S,3S,4S,5R,6R)-6-[(2S,3R,4S,5S,6S)-2-[[(3S,4aR,6aR,6bS,8aS,11S,12aR,14aR,14bS)-11-carboxy-4,4,6a,6b,8a,11,14b-heptamethyl-14-oxo-2,3,4a,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,12a,14a-dodecahydro-1H-picen-3-yl]oxy]-6-carboxy-4,5-dihydroxyoxan-3-yl]oxy-3,4,5-trihydroxyoxane-2-c · Licorice and licorice derivativesCAS 1407-03-0
Listed as a flavour enhancer, a flavouring agent and a surface-active agent by the US.
Listed as flavour enhancers (US) · flavouring agents and adjuvants (US) · surface-active agents (US)
- United States: Flavor enhancers — 21 CFR 184.1408, citing 21 CFR 170.3(o)(11)
- United States: Flavoring agent or adjuvant — FDA, Substances Added to Food: GLYCYRRHIZIN, AMMONIATED (GLYCYRRHIZA SPP.)
- United States: Flavoring agents and adjuvants — 21 CFR 184.1408, citing 21 CFR 170.3(o)(12)
- United States: Surface-active agents — 21 CFR 184.1408, citing 21 CFR 170.3(o)(29)
Licorice and its extracts are flavourings and sweeteners. The sweetness comes from glycyrrhizin, which is far sweeter than sugar; it is also the reason intake is capped, since it affects potassium and blood pressure at high doses.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Canada | No listing matchedHealth Canada’s lists name additives without E or INS numbers, so this site matches them by exact name. A substance listed there under a name this site does not recognise has no row here. | ||
| European Union | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Great Britain | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Japan | No listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance. | ||
| South Korea | No listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance. | ||
| United States | Permitted | 21 CFR 184.1408retrieved 2026-10-17 | |
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| United States | — | 1 no quantity stated |
|---|
No regulator sets a figure for Licorice and licorice derivatives. That is not an absence of control: where the listing says quantum satis or good manufacturing practice, the quantity is limited to what the effect requires.
What a label must say
Words a food containing Licorice and licorice derivatives is obliged to carry, quoted from the instrument that imposes them. A required statement is a fact about the regulation, not a finding about the substance — every rule below applies where the additive is authorised.
‘contains liquorice’ at 100 mg/kg or 10 mg/l of glycyrrhizinic acid. At 4 g/kg in confectionery, or 50 mg/l in beverages (300 mg/l above 1.2 % alcohol), ‘contains liquorice – people suffering from hypertension should avoid excessive consumption’.
Confectionery or beverages containing glycyrrhizinic acid or its ammonium salt, whether added as such or as the liquorice plant. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex III, point 3 · Assimilated Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex III
Every rule collected at what a label must say.
What it is made from
Extracted from the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra. Deglycyrrhizinated extracts, with the glycyrrhizin removed, are also made.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 1407-03-0
Every name it appears under
5 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
CAS registry number
- 1407-03-0
- 53956-04-0
As it appears in regulation
- Licorice and licorice derivatives
Other names
- Glycyrrhizic acid, ammoniated
Systematic names
- (2S,3S,4S,5R,6R)-6-[(2S,3R,4S,5S,6S)-2-[[(3S,4aR,6aR,6bS,8aS,11S,12aR,14aR,14bS)-11-carboxy-4,4,6a,6b,8a,11,14b-heptamethyl-14-oxo-2,3,4a,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,12a,14a-dodecahydro-1H-picen-3-yl]oxy]-6-carboxy-4,5-dihydroxyoxan-3-yl]oxy-3,4,5-trihydroxyoxane-2-c
Hazard reference values
No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is Licorice and licorice derivatives?
- Licorice and its extracts are flavourings and sweeteners. The sweetness comes from glycyrrhizin, which is far sweeter than sugar; it is also the reason intake is capped, since it affects potassium and blood pressure at high doses.
- What is Licorice and licorice derivatives used for in food?
- It is listed as a flavour enhancer, a flavouring agent and a surface-active agent — the role the US assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Is Licorice and licorice derivatives banned in Europe?
- No. Licorice and licorice derivatives does not appear on the EU's list of authorised food additives, which is not the same as being banned: the EU permits an additive only where it has authorised it, and usually the reason for an absence is that no one applied. The EU has made no finding against this substance. It does mean it may not be used as a food additive in the EU today.
- Where is Licorice and licorice derivatives permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, the US permits it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Licorice and licorice derivatives vegan?
- Yes. Licorice and licorice derivatives is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
Machine-readable: a JSON record of this additive is given on request —how to ask for access.
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