THE EXTRACTION SOLVENT'S SELECTION TO INCREASE THE YIELD OF TRITERPENOID AND FLAVONOID SUBSTANCES FROM THE LICORICE ROOT AND ITS MEAL (GLYCYRRHIZAE RADICES)

The licorice root is a valuable medicinal raw material, used in both traditional and modern medicine in many countries of the world. Its main biologically active constituents are triterpenoid and flavonoid substances. A wide range of their therapeutic activities explains a significant theoretical and practical interest in them. In the previous research, numerous methods have been used to extract triterpenoid and flavonoid substances from the licorice root. And their yield, as well as the yield of related substances, depended on a used solvent and treatment conditions. The extraction of biologically active agents from glycyrrhiza root meal – a secondary resource of pharmaceutical production of medicines based on a glycyrrhiza root, as similar researches were not conducted earlier is of particular interest. The paper is devoted to the extraction solvent selection to increase the yield of triterpenoid and flavonoid substances from licorice root and its meal. According to literature data, three most often used extraction solvents of licorice root were chosen: 0,25 % ammonium hydroxide solution, acetone acidified with 3 % nitric acid, and 80 % ethanol. The qualitative and quantitative content of the extracts obtained from licorice root and its meal was determined. It was found that the treatment by acetone acidified with 3 % nitric acid allows getting the highest yield of glycyrrhizinic acid from both licorice root and its meal. It should be noted that the analyzed extracts contained a significant amount of related substances, such as simple phenols and carbohydrates. Extraction with 0,25 % ammonium hydroxide solution and 80 % ethanol resulted in almost equal yields of extracted substances, including the main biologically active components: glycyrrhizinic acid and flavonoids. Conversely, in aqueous ammonium extracts of both licorice root and its meal the composition of related substances was wider than in ethanol extracts. As the result, it was established that 80 % ethanol is the most promising extraction solvent for the treatment of licorice root meal. In the received extract high content of glycyrrhizinic acid and flavonoids: 1,03 and 0,45 %, respectively, and the smallest number of the related substances was found.