HiSiaddi is an innovative foreign trade service provider driven by dual engines of technology commercialization and foreign trade services, with a "1+2+3+4=1" service system and direct access to multiple well-known original manufacturers of licorice extracts. As a foreign trade enterprise with independent R&D capabilities, HiSiaddi has repeatedly collaborated with manufacturers on technology transformation and leveraged precise market insights to deliver licorice extract formulation optimization and application improvement proposals. Below is a formulation optimization consulting case from HiSiaddi regarding licorice extracts.
For more formulation optimization consulting services, please contact HiSiaddi customer service.
Client: BellaHerba Srl (Italy) A renowned mid-to-high-end natural health brand in Italy specializing in premium herbal oral liquids, soothing skincare serums and functional lozenges. Its product portfolio covers high-end beauty retail stores, organic pharmacies and private wellness clubs across Italy, Spain and Portugal, targeting the light luxury natural consumer segment. The enterprise strictly complies with EU EFSA regulations, Italian food and drug supervision standards, cGMP and ISO22716 cosmetic certification, imposing rigorous requirements on raw material compatibility, processing adaptability, sensory quality and long-term stability.
The client has long purchased 20% glycyrrhizic acid licorice extract for two core products: herbal nourishing oral liquid and soothing skincare serum. After half a year of mass production, recurring production abnormalities emerged alongside continuous deterioration of finished product quality. The internal R&D team repeatedly adjusted formula ratios and production parameters yet failed to eliminate root causes, disrupting production capacity and damaging brand reputation. The client formally entrusted HiSiaddi with technical diagnosis and delivery of a complete actionable solution.
1. Liquid formulation phase separation, turbidity and poor shelf-life stability When compounded with plant essential oils, organic acids and polyols in formulations, licorice extract triggers phase separation and turbidity after 7 days of room-temperature storage, with fine flocculent precipitates forming after 30 days. This fails to meet the premium brand’s 90-day stable shelf-life standard, leading to rising terminal product returns.
2. Raw material powder moisture absorption & caking causing automatic production line jams Dry licorice extract powder used in partial production procedures readily absorbs moisture and agglomerates under standard workshop temperature and humidity conditions. This disrupts automated feeding and mixing equipment, resulting in uneven material distribution, pipeline blockages and surging production rework rates that prevent continuous mass manufacturing.
3. Active ingredient degradation and color darkening under high-temperature processing Oral liquids undergo 85°C pasteurization while skincare serums adopt 75°C emulsification processes. Post-processing testing recorded glycyrrhizic acid losses exceeding 7%, alongside discoloration from pale honey to dark brown that fails premium visual appearance standards.
4. Unbalanced flavor with prominent lingering bitter aftertaste Intrinsic bitterness from licorice overpowers the brand’s natural herbal fragrance after compounding, leaving a persistent bitter residual taste that violates the brand positioning of "mild taste and elegant aroma" and triggers extensive consumer feedback complaints.
HiSiaddi collaborated with technical teams from leading domestic plant extract manufacturers to conduct simulation trials and source tracing analysis combining on-site production conditions, formula ratios and raw material indicators, identifying the root causes one by one:
1. Residual macromolecular polysaccharides and colloidal impurities in raw materials exhibit poor miscibility with oils and organic acids of differing polarity within formulations, leading to phase separation, turbidity and flocculation after static storage.
2. Elevated free moisture content and loose porous powder structure expose hydrophilic groups, enabling rapid absorption of workshop moisture and triggering agglomeration.
3. The unmodified extract lacks thermal stability treatment: glycyrrhizic acid molecular structure degrades above 70°C, while colored impurities oxidize under heat to cause active ingredient loss and discoloration.
4. Conventional extraction retains high levels of bitter alkaloids and secondary impurities that cannot be effectively masked by formula auxiliary ingredients alone, resulting in pronounced bitter taste.
HiSiaddi adopted a combined strategy of raw material upgrading, formula fine-tuning and production process optimization, preserving the client’s original core product formulas while resolving issues across raw material source, formulation compatibility and manufacturing processes.
Optimized post-extraction treatment via membrane separation and precision filtration to remove macromolecular colloids, polysaccharides and bitter impurities, fundamentally improving compound compatibility. Low-temperature vacuum drying reduced raw material free moisture to below 0.3%, paired with powder granulation process optimization to reshape particle morphology and fully eliminate moisture absorption and caking. Thermal stability modification was applied to extracts to restrict glycyrrhizic acid loss to ≤2% under 85°C processing conditions. Synchronous decolorization refining suppressed thermal oxidative discoloration to maintain the raw material’s natural pale hue.
Optimized feeding sequence with staged pre-mixing: fully integrate licorice extract with aqueous base solutions first before gradual addition of oily components including essential oils and organic acids to mitigate direct two-phase incompatibility. Within EU regulatory limits, approved food and cosmetic stabilizers were added to balance system pH and interfacial tension, eliminating phase separation, turbidity and precipitate formation.
Standardized workshop environment: temperature maintained at 22°C with relative humidity ≤45% in batching, emulsification and sterilization workshops; raw materials used immediately upon opening with no open-air storage permitted. Revised thermal processing modes: continuous high-temperature sterilization replaced with segmented short-duration heating to minimize raw material heat exposure time; gradient temperature control adopted for skincare emulsification to avoid localized thermal oxidation.
Mild taste masking treatment applied to licorice extract without damaging core active ingredients. Simultaneous fine-tuning of formula sweeteners and aromatic components neutralized residual bitterness and restored the product’s elegant natural herbal flavor profile.
Three full-process simulation production runs were conducted to test powder flowability, liquid system stability, high-temperature active ingredient retention and sensory flavor. Full indicator compliance was confirmed before guiding the client to fully transition to upgraded raw materials and optimized processes.
1. Complete elimination of production bottlenecks: Powder agglomeration ceased entirely, automated equipment operated without faults and rework rates dropped to zero, restoring full production line capacity.
2. Stable finished product quality: Oral liquids and skincare serums remained free of phase separation, turbidity and precipitates after 90 days of room-temperature storage, fully compliant with EU standards.
3. Stable active ingredients and consistent appearance: Glycyrrhizic acid loss limited to only 1.6% after high-temperature processing, with uniform translucent finished product color matching premium brand positioning.
4. Improved sensory experience: Lingering bitterness fully suppressed with unified natural herbal flavor, eliminating all negative consumer taste feedback.
5. Enhanced quality and profitability: Overall finished product yield rose from 83% pre-rectification to 99.5%, with effective control of comprehensive production costs.
For European mid-to-high-end brands, licorice extract is no longer merely a basic raw material judged solely by glycyrrhizic acid content. Processing adaptability, compound compatibility, thermal stability and sensory performance all represent core evaluation criteria. Generic standard extracts cannot satisfy the complex formula systems and stringent manufacturing processes required for premium products.
Drawing on extensive expertise in licorice physicochemical properties, plant extraction technology, overseas formulation applications and regulatory frameworks, HiSiaddi accurately identified technical bottlenecks and delivered actionable end-to-end solutions. Beyond resolving immediate production and quality challenges, our professional service secured deepened client trust. The client subsequently designated HiSiaddi as its core supplier for licorice extracts and multiple other herbal raw materials, with ongoing commissioning for raw material compatibility debugging in new product formulations.
For more formulation optimization consulting services, please contact HiSiaddi customer service.
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