A survey of ethyl carbamate in fermented foods and beverages from Zhejiang, China

A survey of ethyl carbamate (EC) in fermented foods and beverages was conducted in Zhejiang province, China. The samples comprised 184 alcoholic beverages (rice wine, white spirit, wine, beer, and rice cooking wine), 33 flavorings (soy sauces and vinegars) and 20 fermented sufus. Rice wine contained up to 515 μg/kg with an average of 160 μg/kg, and rice cooking wine up to 206 μg/kg with an average of 87 μg/kg. White spirits, wine and beer contained EC at an average level of 72 μg/kg, 16 μg/kg and 2 μg/kg, respectively. EC was also detected in soy sauces and vinegars at an average level of 47 μg/kg and 27 μg/kg. In fermented sufus, EC was found at an average level of 63 μg/kg in normal sufu and 182 μg/kg in red sufu.