CVUA Stuttgart: acrylamide in all 26 liquorice samples tested — from 10 to 693 µg/kg, 138 µg/kg on average, roughly the level the office finds in French fries on average
On 22 September 2026 the Chemical and Veterinary Investigation Office Stuttgart (CVUA Stuttgart) described the results of testing 26 liquorice samples for acrylamide in 2026. Liquorice is neither baked, roasted nor fried, but earlier tests on dried fruit showed that acrylamide can also occur in foods dried at temperatures below 100 °C with high water loss.
- The assumption that the amount of acrylamide depends on the ammonium chloride (sal ammoniac) content was not confirmed, although ammonium promotes its formation — which is why baking ammonia (ammonium bicarbonate) should be avoided, for example, in gingerbread. The sample with the highest level (693 µg/kg) contained little ammonium chloride but listed black cane molasses as an ingredient; CVUA has previously found up to 2,000 µg/kg of acrylamide in cane molasses, which could have been one of the causes.
- Further investigations point to a possible link between acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), an indicator of a product’s heat load, and the amount of acrylamide also appears to correlate positively with the glycyrrhizin content; according to CVUA, further studies are needed. Another factor is probably the heating time of the liquorice extract used.
- Every year CVUA tests about 20 liquorice samples for ammonium chloride and glycyrrhizin, checking the warnings on the packaging and the maximum levels for glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhizic acid; so far no exceedances have been found and the required warnings are usually present. The labelling thresholds cited: above 10 mg/100 g glycyrrhizin — “contains liquorice”, above 400 mg/100 g — an additional warning for people with high blood pressure; from 20 g/kg ammonium chloride — “adult liquorice – not children’s liquorice”, from 80 g/kg — a warning for people with kidney disease.
- Matrine and oxymatrine are also checked on a spot basis; these alkaloids enter extracts when the similar-looking roots of pagoda trees (German: Schnurbäume) are accidentally collected with liquorice roots. Since 2023 matrine has been detected in 5 of 22 samples and oxymatrine in none; the competent food control authority then informs the manufacturer, which must identify and minimise the sources. CVUA recommends eating liquorice only in moderation.
Source: CVUA Stuttgart — Was ist Lakritz – und warum findet man darin Acrylamid? (22.09.2026)