Effects of Modifiers on the Supercritical Extraction of Glycyrrhizin from Licorice and the Morphology of Licorice Tissue after Extraction

Optimal conditions for the supercritical carbon dioxide $(scCO_{2})$ extraction of glycyr­rhizin from licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) were investigated, with an emphasis on the types and levels of modifiers. The morphology of the licorice tissue remaining after the $scCO_{2} $ extraction of glycyrrhizin was examined by scanning electron microscopy, coupled with measurements of ab­solute density. Conventional organic solvent extraction was also carried out for purpose of quantitative comparison. At 50 MPa and $60^{circ}C$ glycyrrhizin could not be extracted with pure $scCO_{2}$, while a considerable amount of glycyrrhizin was extracted when water was added to $scCO_{2}$ as a modifier. The highest recovery was found to be about $97\%$ when $70\%$ aqueous methanol was added to $scCO_{2}$ at a concentration of $15\%$. The optimal pressure and temperature for the supercritical fluid extraction of glycyrrhizin were observed to be 30 M Pa and $60^{circ}C$, respectively. Under these conditions, the percentage recovery of glycyrrhizin attained a maximum value of 102.67\pm$ $1.13\%$ within 60 min. Furthermore, in the case of $scCO_{2}$ modified with $70\%$ aqueous methanol, the licorice tissue obtained after extraction was found to be severely de­graded by excessive swelling, and the absolute density of the licorice residues was observed to be the highest.