Ethyl carbamate (EC) is a probable carcinogenic compound commonly found in fermented foods and alcoholic beverages and has been classified as a category 2A carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Alcoholic beverages are one of the main sources of EC intake by humans. Therefore, many countries have introduced a standard EC limit in alcoholic beverages. Wine is the second largest alcoholic beverage in the world after beer and is loved by consumers for its rich taste. However, different survey results showed that the detection rate of EC in wine was almost 100%, while the maximum content was as high as 100 μg/L, necessitating EC content regulation in wine. The existing methods for controlling the EC level in wine mainly include optimizing raw fermentation materials and processes, using genetically engineered strains, and enzymatic methods (urease or urethanase). This review focused on introducing and comparing the advantages, disadvantages, and applicability of methods for controlling EC, and proposes two possible new techniques, that is, changing the fermentation strain and exogenously adding phenolic compounds. In the future, it is hoped that the feasibility of this prospect will be verified by pilot-scale or large-scale application to provide new insight into the regulation of EC during wine production. The formation mechanism and influencing factors of EC in wine were also introduced and the analytical methods of EC were summarized.
Keywords: analytical methods; controlling strategy; ethyl carbamate; formation mechanism; grape wine.
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