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Ethyl carbamate in Chinese liquor (Baijiu): presence, analysis, formation, and control

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Abstract

Ethyl carbamate (EC) is a genotoxic and carcinogenic compound that is also a by-product of fermented foods (bread, sour milk, soy cheese, etc.) and alcoholic beverages (wine, sake, distilled liquor, etc.). Studies have showed that ethyl carbamate is ingested by humans primarily through the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Many countries have thus established EC limits for alcoholic beverages. Chinese liquor (Baijiu) is a traditional and unique distilled liquor, which has a huge consumption in China due to its excellent color, flavor, and taste. Therefore, the control of EC in Chinese liquor is of great significance. This review summarized for the first time the progress in presence level, analysis method, formation mechanism, and elimination strategy of EC of Chinese liquor in recent decades.

Key points

• GC-MS and HPLC are the main methods to quantify EC in Chinese liquor.

• EC is formed in the fermentation, distillation, and storage stage.

• EC content can be reduced from raw material, microorganism, and production process.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the Key Laboratory of Solid State Fermentation of Chinese Light Industry Strong-flavour Liquor (2017JJ016) and Liquor Making Biological Technology and Application of Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province (NJ2018-07).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Biotechnology, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, No. 180 College Street, Zigong City, Sichuan Province, China

    Chuan Wang, Mou Wang & Meng-ping Zhang

  2. College of Bioengineering, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong, 643000, Sichuan, China

    Chuan Wang, Mou Wang & Meng-ping Zhang

  3. Liquor Making Biological Technology and Application of Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Zigong, China

    Chuan Wang

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  1. Chuan Wang
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  2. Mou Wang
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M-P. Zhang collected the data and created the tables. M. Wang summarized the literatures and prepared the manuscript. C. Wang arranged the text contents and drafted the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Chuan Wang.

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Wang, C., Wang, M. & Zhang, Mp. Ethyl carbamate in Chinese liquor (Baijiu): presence, analysis, formation, and control. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 105, 4383–4395 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-021-11348-1

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