Determination of ethyl carbamate in cachaças produced by selected yeast and spontaneous fermentation

Cachaca is a beverage produced by the distillation of fermented must from sugarcane. During the manufacturing steps, producers commonly use naturally occurring yeasts in the preparation of the fermentation broth, resulting in spontaneous fermentation. The composition of the resulting beverages can vary greatly, especially if various species and strains of yeast are present. The beverages produced with selected yeast strains are an alternative, leading to the production of more standardized beverages. Ethyl carbamate, which is highly toxic and has carcinogenic potential, is among the possible contaminants. The objectives of this study were to determine the levels of ethyl carbamate in cachaca produced by different types of fermentation and follow its formation during the production stages. The cachacas that contained rice bran as a nutrient during the fermentation stage contained the highest levels of ethyl carbamate throughout the production process and storage. Copyright © 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling