Abstract
About 20% of spirits consumed in China are “unrecorded”, where these spirits are produced in small-scale distilleries and sold outside the systems of taxation and quality control. Researchers visited small distilleries in rural Yunnan, Hubei and Anhui and purchased 56 samples of unrecorded bai jiu. Seven samples of the recorded bai jiu were purchased as reference samples. An independent laboratory conducted a blind analysis of the samples. Results were compared to the standards for unrecorded alcohol adopted by the European Commission’s Alcohol Measures for Public Health Research Alliance (AMPHORA). No samples exceeded the AMPHORA guidelines for methanol, ethyl acetate, lead and cadmium; one sample exceeded 1000 g/hL of combined higher alcohols; one sample exceeded 100 mg/L of arsenic; and three samples exceeded 50g/hL of acetaldehyde, but only by relatively small amounts. Low-priced unrecorded bai jiu averaged 9.8 RMB/jin (500 mL), compared to 10.7 RMB/jin for inexpensive recorded bai jiu. The low-priced unrecorded bai jiu samples had a mean alcohol-by-volume of 51.8%, compared to 50.1% for the recorded bai jiu samples. The results did not raise any critical safety issues with unrecorded bai jiu, but there may be long-term health risks related to ethanol, acetaldehyde and arsenic. The social ties between the bai jiu makers and the people who consume their product are a deterrent to adulteration; but when bai jiu is sold outside of the social circle, the deterrent disappears.
Highlights
IntroductionThisTphiasppearpdeersdcreisbcerisbethsethcehechmeimcaiclaalnaanlaylsyissisofof5656sasmampplelessooffuunnrreeccoorrddeedd bbaaii jjiiuu ((ddiissttiilllleeddlilqiquuoor)r) prodpurocdeduciend sinmsamllaullnurnergeigsitseterereddpprroodduuccttiioonnssitietsesinincencetrnatlrCalhiCnhaiannadasnevdensesvaemnpsleasmopf rleecsoordf erdecboaridjieud bai jpiuurpcuharcsehdasferodmfrogmrocgerroycsetroyresst.oUrensr.eUconrdreecdobrdaiedjiubiasi pjiruodisupcerdodouuctesiddeouoftsriedgeuolaftiroeng,utleasttiionng,atnesdt/ionrg and/taoxrattiaoxna.tiBoont.hBtohteh pthueblpicubhleiaclthheaclothmcmoumnmityunaintdy athned rtehceorrdeceodrdaelcdohaolcloihnodluisntrdyusatrreyaadrveoacdavtioncgatfionrg for rreessttrriiccttiioonnss oonn tthhee pprroodduuccttioionn ooff uunnrreeccoorrddeedd bbaaii jjiiuu bbaasseedd oonn tthheeiirr ccoonncceerrnnss aabboouutt ppoossssibiblele pcorondtcpuauornmnocrdtitenaicuomaocntrtiidinoooeanfndtidoooairnflscatdooidlrhilsueoatlidldtlleiuesbrldaatnetiobirojtaainutiiiloljaeiinsungadaailns.tbdrBaeaebcdtcaeraiauctudaisosuieetnsiuoeapnnlruoatonaldctxauocexuccdcetpiudobapnabtaiiaiotsjiiinoujninuioinstiinstCoaofCxhtfeetihendninnaoca.chr.hMeoMeafaafpapikcekeiirinarnltgtlghhy,,aabrbnneuuprryyeeoiiccrnnootggerrdddaaeeinndtdddiasaclcldcocooionnfhfhssioucoulum.lm.lTtiTnihtnhgoege unreecsotirmdeadteatlhceohpoerl icsapniotat iclolengsaulm
In its most egregious form, the intentional adulteration of alcohol beverages to enhance their potency or appeal can lead to poisoning or death
The second public health concern is that the low price and high availability of alcohol contributes to the over-use of alcohol, which burdens societies with social, legal, economic and health problems
Summary
ThisTphiasppearpdeersdcreisbcerisbethsethcehechmeimcaiclaalnaanlaylsyissisofof5656sasmampplelessooffuunnrreeccoorrddeedd bbaaii jjiiuu ((ddiissttiilllleeddlilqiquuoor)r) prodpurocdeduciend sinmsamllaullnurnergeigsitseterereddpprroodduuccttiioonnssitietsesinincencetrnatlrCalhiCnhaiannadasnevdensesvaemnpsleasmopf rleecsoordf erdecboaridjieud bai jpiuurpcuharcsehdasferodmfrogmrocgerroycsetroyresst.oUrensr.eUconrdreecdobrdaiedjiubiasi pjiruodisupcerdodouuctesiddeouoftsriedgeuolaftiroeng,utleasttiionng,atnesdt/ionrg and/taoxrattiaoxna.tiBoont.hBtohteh pthueblpicubhleiaclthheaclothmcmoumnmityunaintdy athned rtehceorrdeceodrdaelcdohaolcloihnodluisntrdyusatrreyaadrveoacdavtioncgatfionrg for rreessttrriiccttiioonnss oonn tthhee pprroodduuccttioionn ooff uunnrreeccoorrddeedd bbaaii jjiiuu bbaasseedd oonn tthheeiirr ccoonncceerrnnss aabboouutt ppoossssibiblele pcorondtcpuauornmnocrdtitenaicuomaocntrtiidinoooeanfndtidoooairnflscatdooidlrhilsueoatlidldtlleiuesbrldaatnetiobirojtaainutiiiloljaeiinsungadaailns.tbdrBaeaebcdtcaeraiauctudaisosuieetnsiuoeapnnlruoatonaldctxauocexuccdcetpiudobapnabtaiiaiotsjiiinoujninuioinstiinstCoaofCxhtfeetihendninnaoca.chr.hMeoMeafaafpapikcekeiirinarnltgtlghhy,,aabrbnneuuprryyeeoiiccrnnootggerrdddaaeeinndtdddiasaclcldcocooionnfhfhssioucoulum.lm.lTtiTnihtnhgoege unreecsotirmdeadteatlhceohpoerl icsapniotat iclolengsaulm. The potential to profit from illegal alcohol production has led to increases in corruption and crime [5] Both the alcohol industry and the public health sector have called for the elimination of unrecorded alcohol [6] or bringing it into the taxation and monitoring systems [1] On the beneficial side of the ledger, manufacturing unrecorded alcohol is a traditional occupation in many places in the world; it adds value to agricultural products, often provides income for women and the spent grains are used to feed livestock. The fermented grain is heated with steam and the evaporate is distilled This method, referred to as the dry method, was used at all but two of the sample sites in this study. The village-level production of unrecorded bai jiu in China has been described by Qian et al [12] and in Vietnam by Luu, Nguyen and Newman [13]
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