Liquorice Extract

Additives are substances intentionally added to tobacco products by tobacco industry in order to render toxic tobacco products palatable and acceptable to consumers. Liquorice (or licorice) is the root of the liquorice plant from which the characteristically sweet liquorice flavour
is extracted. The extract contains the very sweet substance glycyrhizzin, as well as sugars.

General uses

The root or the extract is used as a source of liquorice flavour. The liquor from the extract is often processed into a powder or a more concentrated solid block. The liquorice root/extract is widely used in the food industry as a sweetening agent, or flavouring ingredient in drinks, candy and gum. Due to its medicinal properties it is also used in both traditional and herbal medicines e.g. in the
pharmaceutical industry liquorice is used in over-thecounter drugs and cough syrups.

Reported tobacco industry uses

Tobacco manufacturers reportedly use liquorice at different stages of manufacturing to add flavour to the tobacco and to sweeten the smoke. Liquorice gives a mellow, sweet and woody note to the smoke.
The amount of liquorice added to the cigarette can make up to 4 % of the total weight of the tobacco used in one cigarette. Liquorice is also used as a flavour for other tobacco products such as cigars, and chewing tobacco.

Harmful health effects

Liquorice is generally regarded as safe for use in food and cosmetics. However, this does not suggest it is safe when inhaled from smoking cigarettes. When liquorice extracts are burnt they produce several toxic compounds including some that are well known to cause cancer in humans (e.g.
benzene), or those that could possibly cause cancer (e.g. acetaldehyde). Other toxic substances produced include the chemicals toluene and phenol that could cause other damaging
health effects.

The sugars in the extract can also produce acidic compounds, which make it harder for the nicotine in the cigarette smoketo reach the brain. This forces smokers to inhale deeper and to also consume more cigarettes to get their nicotine fix. Furthermore, the use of liquorice may be indirectly harmful
due to the formation of compounds called aldehydes (e.g. acetaldehyde), which can make cigarettes more addictive by enhancing the addictive potential of nicotine. Aldehydes are very reactive and produce other compounds such as the substance harman, which can also make cigarettes more
addictive due to its mood-enhancing effect on the brain.

The addition of liquorice extract makes the smoking experience more pleasurable in several ways, i.e. it helps the tobacco to stay moist, balances the overall flavour of the cigarette, and reduces dryness in the mouth and throat. Furthermore, the caramel flavours produced when the sugars in the liquorice extract are burnt help enhance the flavour and attractiveness of smoking. Also, the glycyrhizzin
that is present could potentially to open up the airways, and in combination with other ingredients could allow smokers to inhale deeper, making it easier for them to get their nicotine fix.

Therefore, by adding more desirable flavours such as liquorice to cigarettes, tobacco manufacturers succeed in making smoking more pleasurable. This not only encourages the smoking habit, but also makes it easier for smokers to become addicted, which ultimately causes them to be exposed to higher levels of the toxic substances in cigarette smoke.

Liquorice Extract