Food additive databasesweetenerChecked 2026-10-02
Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Licorice Extract 酵素分解カンゾウ
Existing food additiveNot on the EU additive list
- Purpose
- sweetener
- On the label
- “甘味料（カンゾウ）” (sweetener (licorice)), “甘味料（酵素分解カンゾウ）” (sweetener (enzymatically hydrolyzed licorice))
- Name in the List of Existing Food Additives
- 酵素分解カンゾウ (No. 120)
- Source and production
- Obtained by decomposing with enzymes “カンゾウ抽出物” (licorice extract; obtained from the roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Glycyrrhiza inflata, Glycyrrhiza glabra, and others, with glycyrrhizic acid as the main component), with glycyrrhetinic acid 3-O-glucuronide as the main component.
In Japan
- A sweetener obtained by decomposing licorice extract with enzymes, with glycyrrhetinic acid 3-O-glucuronide as the main component. The specifications require it to contain at least 40% glycyrrhetinic acid glycosides on a dry basis (Japanese Standards of Food Additives). There are no standards for use.
- Because it is a sweetener, the purpose name is written alongside. The simplified name is “カンゾウ” (licorice), which it shares with licorice extract, so “甘味料（カンゾウ）” (sweetener (licorice)) alone does not show which one was used.
Japan's standards for use
There are no standards for use that limit which foods or how much (the general standards for all additives still apply).
This is a summary of the standards for use. See the source list for the exact conditions.
In the EU
- It is not on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II), so it cannot be used as a food additive in the EU.
Sources
- List of Existing Food Additives — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- Standards for use and storage of each additive — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- EU food additive database (Japanese translation) — MAFF (Japanese)
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives — EUR-Lex
- 日本食品化学研究振興財団「既存添加物名簿収載品目リスト」（令和7年8月25日現在） (Japanese)
- 第10版 食品添加物公定書（2024年、厚生労働省・消費者庁）成分規格の定義 (Japanese)
- 消費者庁「食品表示基準について」別添 添加物関係（簡略名・用途名併記・一括名・栄養強化の範囲） (Japanese)
Checked 2026-10-02. Rules and evaluations change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.
This page lists facts stated in laws and in evaluations by public bodies; it is not a safety verdict. Additives used in Japan are approved by the government, which sets the foods and amounts they can be used in. The ADI is a guide to the amount that is considered safe to take every day over a lifetime.