Exposure assessment of ethyl carbamate in alcoholic beverages

Abstract

Ethyl carbamate, a by-product produced naturally during fermentation and contained in fermented foods and beverages, is a carcinogen. Thus, due to the high consumption of alcoholic beverages in Korea, the ethyl carbamate concentrations in popular alcoholic beverages were determined, and the daily intake of ethyl carbamate through alcoholic beverages was estimated. The major Korean alcoholic beverages, Soju, beer, and Takju, with the highest market share were sampled and their ethyl carbamate concentrations determined by GC/MS/SIM. The ranges of ethyl carbamate contained in Soju, beer, and Takju was 0.83-10.07, 0.45-0.77, and 0.40-0.93 ppb, respectively. These results and data on the average daily intake of alcoholic beverages were then used to calculate the average and maximum estimated daily intakes (EDI) of ethyl carbamate through alcoholic beverages. As a result, a relatively high EDI of ethyl carbamate through alcoholic beverages was found for Korean males over 30 years old, indicating the need to reduce the ethyl carbamate content in alcoholic beverages.