New fast "One-pot" Technique for the Production of Glycyrrhetinic Acid from the Roots of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

The aim of this work was to develop and study a fast "one-pot" procedure for the production of glycyrrhetinic acid (GLA) from the roots of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) using subcritical water (SBW). Technique requires no use expensive and toxic organic solvents. For the first time the new method was used for the production of glycyrrhetinic acid (aglycone of glycyrrhizic acid) by "one-pot" technique. HPLC was used to determine the quantitative compositions of the obtained products. It has been shown that variation of only one parameter of the process (temperature) allows alteration of composition of the products obtained by new "one-pot" technique. The "one-pot" procedure developed for the production of GLA in SBW is faster (12 folds) than conventional methods that use expensive and toxic organic solvents. The proposed procedure has the excellent potential for the future development of the fast and low cost technologies for the production of GLA and its derivatives in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries.