Investigation and risk assessment of ethyl carbamate in Chinese Baijiu

Abstract

Since Baijiu, a traditionally distilled Chinese spirit, is widely consumed, the health risks of the ethyl carbamate (EC) content are of significant concern. To assess the EC content and evaluate dietary exposure risk to Chinese Baijiu, 2039 Baijiu samples, including 715 Strong-flavor Baijiu (SFB), 702 Jiang-flavor Baijiu (JFB), and 622 Light-flavor Baijiu (LFB), were collected from 16 provinces. The mean EC concentration was 62.26 μg/L, ranging from n.d. to 382.33 μg/L. Moreover, SFB exhibited higher EC content (113.94 μg/L) than JFB (58.10 μg/L) and LFB (12.02 μg/L). The EC content varied between different geographic areas and was especially evident between East China and other regions. Based on Baijiu consumption data, the daily exposure to EC was calculated as 40 ng/kg bw/day for regular consumers, while SFB drinkers displayed a higher intake (73.2 ng/kg bw/day). The margin of exposure (MOE) indicated that the EC in SFB and JFB posed various health risks, necessitating the development of stricter supervision while reducing consumption to regulate the EC level in SFB and JFB. In addition, this study identified safe drinking limits for consumers, recommending 0.46 L/month for SFB, 0.96 L/month for JFB, and 4.66 L/month for LFB.