Chemical Composition and Safety of Unrecorded Grain Alcohol (Bai Jiu) Samples from Three Provinces in China

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.

The Threat of Multiple Liver Carcinogens in the Population of Laos: A Review

“…Lao-Lao rice whiskey and Lao Hai rice wine consumption were studied only from an anthropological point of view and chemical contaminants in these home-made alcoholic beverages (Figure 2) are unknown [38,39]. It is known, however, that spirits resulting from rice fermentation may contain traces of carcinogenic substances such as ethyl carbamate, acetaldehyde, and/or arsenic [40][41][42]. Other important compounds, nitrosamines, are mutagens produced during fermentation of fish.…”

Recent advances in NMR-based metabolomics of alcoholic beverages

“…Thus, proper labelling must accurately reflect a product’s information in order to fulfill the expectations of consumers. The adulteration of alcoholic beverages is performed to increase the alcoholic strength of a product with cheaper sources of sugar and starch besides grapes or other fruits ( Newman et al, 2018 ). Another adulteration practice involves watering down beverages to lessen the alcohol content of alcoholic beverages ( Lachenmeier, 2016a , Lachenmeier, 2016b ).…”

“…Another adulteration practice involves watering down beverages to lessen the alcohol content of alcoholic beverages ( Lachenmeier, 2016a , Lachenmeier, 2016b ). Adulterations have been reported all over the world including incidents of unrecorded alcohol samples from China exceeding the specified alcohol content ( Newman et al, 2018 ) and deaths in the Philippines due to suspected poisoning reportedly caused by lambanog , a Filipino alcoholic drink ( Crisostomo, 2018 , FDA, 2018a , FDA, 2018b , Lim, 2019 ).…”

Alcohol Use in China: Unrecorded and Recorded Bai Jiu in Three Rural Regions

“…There is now a detailed description of the production of unrecorded alcohol in rural areas [ 4 ]. Analyses of samples of unrecorded bai jiu [ 10 , 11 , 12 ] suggest it is no more dangerous than recorded alcohol.…”