Evaluation of HPLC Mobile Phases and Extracts for the Determination of Glycyrrhizic Acid in Licorice and Tobacco

Abstract

An improved high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) in licorice and tobacco to which licorice was applied was developed. An acetate buffer was used in the mobile phase, which resulted in more constant retention times for GA. Nine extractants were found to remove GA from licorice, but only six were capable of removing GA from both licorice and tobacco. Precision was less than 4% relative standard deviation for licorice and tobacco and percent recoveries were at least 92. Aqueous solutions of 1,4‐dioxane, ethanol, tetrahyrofuran, 2‐butoxyethanol, 2‐methoxyethanol, and 1,3‐dioxolane can be used to extract GA from both licorice and tobacco. Glycyrrhetinic acid and compounds found in tobacco do not interfere with the analysis.

Keywords:

• Glycyrrhizic acid
• Glycyrrhetinic acid
• Licorice
• Tobacco