Chemical Contaminants in Beverages: ‘Traditional’ and Emerging Risks in an Ever-Changing World

A special issue of Beverages (ISSN 2306-5710).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2017) | Viewed by 27228

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Nestlé Purina Petcare Australia
Interests: chemical contaminants; natural toxins; mass spectrometry; analytical chemistry; method development & validation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are consumed very frequently by all of us from a very young age. Contamination of various beverages by natural and/or man-made chemicals has always been an issue for industry, regulators, and consumers. Megatrends, such as climate change and environmental pollution are expected to have an impact on contamination incidents worldwide by traditional and emerging contaminants. This Special Issue invites submissions that cover any of the various types of chemical contaminants (e.g., organic, inorganic, natural, synthetic, intentional contamination, process-derived, environmental) that may be encountered in regularly-consumed beverages. Submissions dealing with safety concerns due to chronic exposure to endogenous, non-ethanol components typically expected in some beverages (e.g., congeners in beer) are also invited.

Dr. Dimitrios Zabaras
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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206 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Ethyl Carbamate Contamination in Cachaça (Brazilian Sugar Cane Spirit)
by Aline M. Bortoletto and André R. Alcarde
Beverages 2016, 2(4), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/beverages2040028 - 31 Oct 2016
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5755
Abstract
Cachaça is a sugar cane spirit produced in Brazil. Ethyl carbamate (EC), a potential carcinogenic compound, may be present in cachaça above the limit established by law. The purpose of this study was to determine the concentration of ethyl carbamate in cachaças recently [...] Read more.
Cachaça is a sugar cane spirit produced in Brazil. Ethyl carbamate (EC), a potential carcinogenic compound, may be present in cachaça above the limit established by law. The purpose of this study was to determine the concentration of ethyl carbamate in cachaças recently produced in Brazil in order to verify their compliance with the law. The concentration of ethyl carbamate was determined in 376 samples of cachaça through gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The mean value of ethyl carbamate in the cachaças analyzed was 145 µg/L, and 24% of them were not in compliancy with the law (EC < 210 µg/L). However, compared to previous studies, advances have been observed regarding the adjustment of cachaças to the legal limit. Cachaças produced in large distilleries through continuous column distillation presented a mean value of 200 µg/L of ethyl carbamate. Cachaças produced in small distilleries using pot still distillation presented a mean content of 74 µg/L. Small producers have been more engaged in using good manufacturing practices to guarantee the quality of cachaças. Full article
4898 KiB  
Article
A Colorimetric Method for the Determination of the Exhaustion Level of Granular Activated Carbons Used in Rum Production
by Harold Crespo Sariol, Kenny Vanreppelen, Jan Yperman, Ángel Brito Sauvanell, Robert Carleer and José Navarro Campa
Beverages 2016, 2(3), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/beverages2030024 - 20 Sep 2016
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 7056
Abstract
Spectrophotometric measurement applied on saturated granular activated carbon (GAC) is not yet explored. A colorimetric method in the visible range has been developed in order to determine the exhaustion level of GAC used in rum production. Aqueous ammonia solution has been used as [...] Read more.
Spectrophotometric measurement applied on saturated granular activated carbon (GAC) is not yet explored. A colorimetric method in the visible range has been developed in order to determine the exhaustion level of GAC used in rum production. Aqueous ammonia solution has been used as an indicative agent to determine the extraction rate of taste compounds within the rum production process and the exhaustion degree of the GAC. The colorimetric results showed excellent correlation with the iodine number and the contact pH. The proposed colorimetric method opens possibilities for rum producers to improve the management and economical use of the activated carbon at the industrial scale. Full article
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Review

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461 KiB  
Review
Chemical Contaminants Associated with Palm Wine from Nigeria Are Potential Food Safety Hazards
by Ogueri Nwaiwu and Martin Itumoh
Beverages 2017, 3(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/beverages3010016 - 3 Mar 2017
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 13727
Abstract
Recent analysis of palm wine, a traditional drink fermented mainly by yeasts, revealed the presence of several chemicals that were not products of yeast fermentation. The chemicals included styrene, benzene, trimethyldioxolane, dichloromethane, methylene fluoride, dichloroethanol, benzylisoquinoline and tetraacetyl-d-xylonic nitrile. A review [...] Read more.
Recent analysis of palm wine, a traditional drink fermented mainly by yeasts, revealed the presence of several chemicals that were not products of yeast fermentation. The chemicals included styrene, benzene, trimethyldioxolane, dichloromethane, methylene fluoride, dichloroethanol, benzylisoquinoline and tetraacetyl-d-xylonic nitrile. A review of the concentrations of these compounds in palm wine found that the benzene concentrations in all samples reviewed ranged from 56–343 ppm and were within permissible limits, whereas the styrene values (1505–5614 ppm) in all the palm wine samples evaluated were well over the recommended concentration that is immediately dangerous to life or health. Other chemical compounds evaluated varied according to location or sample source. The concentrations obtained are estimates only and a quantitative study needs to be carried out before the impact of these chemicals on health is evaluated. A search on The PubChem Project, the open chemical database, showed the description, properties and uses of these chemicals. Further searches carried out within other databases like PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar, using each chemical’s name as a search term, showed possible hazards and adverse health conditions caused by these chemicals, especially styrene, benzene and dichloromethane. The point at which the chemicals are introduced into the drink is still not clear and requires further investigation. The chemicals can be hazardous to humans and there is need to establish and maintain a system that can guarantee permissible levels in the drink. This can be carried out using concentrations of the chemicals that are already known to be immediately dangerous to life or health as a reference point. Full article
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