In October of this year, a new enterprise for the production of glycyrrhizic acid from licorice root (licorice) was opened in the industrial zone of the city of Turkmenabat. The enterprise is a part of the agro-industrial complex “Buýan” of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan.
The opening of the plant is an important step in the development of the processing industry in Turkmenistan. Licorice (licorice root) has been harvested in Lebap province for over a hundred years, most of which is exported as raw materials and extracts. Turkmen licorice is characterized by a high content of glycyrrhizic acid.
The new enterprise enables the production of pure glycyrrhizic acid, a highly sought-after commodity in both domestic and international markets. Glycyrrhizic acid has a wide range of applications in pharmacology, cosmetology, and the food industry.
With an annual capacity to process 4,500 tons of licorice root, the plant produces 390 tons of unrefined glycyrrhizic acid. At all stages of production, from the procurement of raw materials to the production of the finished product, special attention is paid to quality.
The enterprise’s bacteriology and microbiology laboratory, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment from Japan, Germany, and Italy, conducts physical and mechanical tests on raw materials. This comprehensive analysis includes determining moisture content, impurity composition, and extractive yield.
Laboratory staff meticulously monitor all raw material parameters to accurately predict final product output and glycyrrhizic acid content in the finished powder.
The production of glycyrrhizic acid is a complex multi-step process. The raw materials from the warehouse are delivered to the crushing plant, where special equipment “MION & MOSOLE” splits the root in two stages to the small sizes necessary for extraction, from where it is fed into the extraction apparatus “DELLA TOFFOLA”. In this workshop, 54 extractors are installed in three sections, where a slow reaction takes place. Each extractor is designed to produce 200 kilograms of extract. Next, the resulting extract is dried in the sedimentation shop in a special drying device, ground to a powdery appearance and packaged.
All operations at the enterprise are automated. The final product is packaged in 25 kg bags, resistant to moisture.
The production process is environmentally friendly and waste-free, as industrial residues are repurposed as fertilizer. The products of the new enterprise are in high demand across various industries, contributing to the growth of the nation’s economy and healthcare sector. The “Made in Turkmenistan” label guarantees the product’s ecological purity.
Furthermore, this new production facility encourages scientific research into developing innovative derivatives of glycyrrhizic acid.