A Survey on the Methanol Content of Home Distilled Alcoholic Beverages in Transylvania (Romania)

Abstract

Objective: Methanol appears in relatively high concentrations in alcoholic beverages obtained from fermented fruits distillates. These products are traditionally home made in many regions in Romania and other EU countries. The chronic use of products with high methanol concentration can be considered a health risk. The purpose of this work was to measure methanol concentration in a Romanian region where brandy-type alcoholic products are made from different fruits (plum, apple, pear, grapes), and to observe if there is a type of product that contains more methanol than the others. Methods: The content of methanol in the tested alcoholic beverages was determined using a gas chromatographic method. Results: Only 18% of the tested 56 samples met UE regulation regarding methanol content of alcoholic beverages (0.4% in alcoholic drinks containing 40% ethanol). The highest concentration of 2.39% was found in a plum brandy. Plum brandies contained signifi cantly higher amounts of methanol than brandies made from other fruits (0.91 vs 0.52%, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Home distilled alcoholic beverages obtained from fruits are a health threat due to their high methanol content. Strict regulations and tests should be introduced for such products.

Evaluation of methanol content of illegal beverages using GC and an easier modified Chromotropic acid method; a cross sectional study

“…Methanol, a potent toxicant in humans, occurs naturally at a low level in most alcoholic beverages without causing harm [6]. “Unrecorded” alcohol constitutes about 30% of all alcohol globally consumed [12]. It is an over-view category for any alcohol not taxed or registered in the jurisdiction where it is consumed.…”

“…The table for safe concentration of methanol in different food products and beverages (USA standard) was therefore used (Table 1) [8–11] which determined all drinks with any concentration below the permitted levels as safe beverages. Preliminary evaluations confirmed the efficacy of this kit in determination of possible toxicity risk of the alcoholic beverages [12].…”

Determination of Alcoholic Concentration in Four Different Home Brewed Alcoholic Beverages Using Gas Chromatography

“…9 However, higher concentration of ethanol in an alcoholic beverage means lesser toxicity of methanol as ethanol inhibits toxicity of methanol. 10 But this can lead to ethanol toxicity as a consequence of chronic use. Methanol 11 Iso-propanol is not as toxic as methanol but fatality may be due to inebriant effects such as airway compromise and rarely cardiovascular depression.…”

Increased production of illegal alcoholic beverages during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hamadan, Iran

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, seven of the shipments had high amounts of methanol; the average methanol found in positive samples was determined to be 25.3 g/dL. Given that methanol production can be unavoidable when it results from the activation of the enzyme pectin methylesterase in the woody tissue of fruits [14], the European Union has set the permissible level of this alcohol at about 10% of a beverage's ethanol content [15]. However, the proportion of methanol to ethanol in contaminated alcoholic beverages in Iran has been estimated at more than 35% (Table 2), and it is unlikely that this amount of methanol would be produced only as a by-product of the beverage production process.…”