• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 1997

Diet is generally accepted as one of the important factors in human cancer development. Ethyl carbamate has been associated with cancer for several decades and mainly found in the fermented beverages and foodstuff. The relationship between ethyl carbamate and the human health cannot be ignored especially in the areas where fermented foods consists of regular food consumption. To investigate the ethyl carbamate exposure level in Korean population, commercial fermented food samples were collected form local markets I Seoul area and home-made varieties were collected throughout the country. Following partial purification the concentration of ethyl carbamete was determined by GC/ MS. The concentration of ethyl carbamate ranged to 70 ppb in soysauce, to 10 ppb in soybean paste, and to 5 ppb in vinegars. Korean traditional alcoholic beverages showed small amount of ethyl carbamate. The estimated daily exposure of Korean population was 0~1900ng/day. It would be prudent to put efforts to minimize the formation of ethyl carbamate since the risk from the higher range exposure cannot be ignored.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.421-427
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• 1996

Ethyl carbamate is an animal carcinogen and a suspected human carcinogen found in fermented foods and beverages. For the determination of ethyl carbamate in typical Korean diet, an analytical method was established for the food as complex as Kimchi. Kimchi samples collected from various locations in the country were homogenized and extracted four times with ethyl acelate. Following concentration and reconstitution with water, the extract was loaded onto $C_{18}$ column. Fraction containing ethyl carbamate was eluted with methanol, while most of the red pigment of the sample was retained on the column. The eluent was further purified with alumina, followed by Florisil column. The final eluent was analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring mode. None of the twenty Kimchi samples showed ethyl carbamate level higher than 4.6 ppb without correction for the recovery. The concentration of ethyl carbamate in Kimchi increased as pH decreased, suggesting fermentation dependent formation of ethyl carbamate.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.94-98
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• 2007

Ethyl carbamate, which is also known as a possible human carcinogen, is formed by ethanolysis of N-carbamyl compounds such as carbamyl phosphate, urea, or citrulline. NaCl that is highly present in fermented foods was suspected to have an influence on ethyl carbamate formation. This study was designed to determine the effect of NaCl on the chemical reactions upon incubation of ethanol with the N-carbamyl compound in a 25% NaCl solution or in the absence of NaCl, and to find a possible association with the formation of ethyl carbamate. While the amount of ethyl carbamate formed in a urea solution with the addition of NaCl was increased up to 26%, the amount formed with citrulline or carbamyl phosphate in the presence of NaCl was decreased up to 30% and 40%, respectively. This indicates that NaCl should be considered as a potential factor influencing the rate of ethyl carbamate formation from its precursors.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.92-98
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• 1997

Ethyl carbamate is an animal carcinogen and a by-product of fermentation. Since the highest level of ethyl carbamate was found in a traditional soy sauce sample in the previous study, soysauce was prepared in varying experimental conditions with three kinds of meju originated from different area of the country to investigate the factors affecting ethyl carbamate formation. The sample analysis methods included a semi-purification with solid-phase extraction and detection by GC-MS at SIM mode using m/z 62 fragment ion. Among the investigated factors, which includes source meju, bringing length, salt content, irradiation of visible light during bringing or storage, and storage length, source meju and storage length showed most profound effect on the formation of ethyl carbamate. Irradiation of visible light for 12 hours a day during storage lowered the concentration of ethyl carbamate compared to the soysauce kept in the dark. Meanwhile irradiation during the bringing as well as the degree of salt contents showed no effect.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.480-483
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• 2006

Ethyl carbamate, a by-product produced naturally during fermentation and contained in fermented foods and beverages, is a carcinogen. Thus, due to the high consumption of alcoholic beverages in Korea, the ethyl carbamate concentrations in popular alcoholic beverages were determined, and the daily intake of ethyl carbamate through alcoholic beverages was estimated. The major Korean alcoholic beverages, Soju, beer, and Takju, with the highest market share were sampled and their ethyl carbamate concentrations determined by GC/MS/SIM. The ranges of ethyl carbamate contained in Soju, beer, and Takju was 0.83-10.07, 0.45-0.77, and 0.40-0.93 ppb, respectively. These results and data on the average daily intake of alcoholic beverages were then used to calculate the average and maximum estimated daily intakes (EDI) of ethyl carbamate through alcoholic beverages. As a result, a relatively high EDI of ethyl carbamate through alcoholic beverages was found for Korean males over 30 years old, indicating the need to reduce the ethyl carbamate content in alcoholic beverages.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.975-980
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• 2007

Determination of ethyl carbamate content in imported alcoholic beverages in Korea and an exposure assessment were conducted. In gas chromatography/mass spectrometry/selected ion monitoring (GC/MS/SIM) analysis, 2.5-39, 8-263, 6.3-112, 11.3-23.5, 53-94, 8.5-38.5, 7-9.5, 21.3-31.5, 5-832.5, and $10.5-364.8\;{\mu}g/L$ of ethyl carbamate were detected in imported beers, sakes, whiskies, vodkas, Chinese liquors, cognacs, tequilas, rums, liqueurs, and wines, respectively. The exposure assessment indicated that the exposure of Korean adults to ethyl carbamate were lower than 20 ng/kg BW per day, (the virtual safe dose) indicating that the amount of ethyl carbamate exposed through fermented food and alcoholic beverages including imported products are currently in the 'no significant risk level'. However, the present low exposure to ethyl carbamate through the imported alcoholic products was not due to the low contents of ethyl carbamate in imported products, but low consumption of the imported products. Therefore, given increasing importation of alcoholic beverages in Korea, reductions of ethyl carbamate content in imported alcoholic beverages, especially non-distilled products, should be required by regulating limits on the ethyl carbamate content in the imported alcoholic beverages.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.26-30
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• 2002

In order to determine the contents of ethyl carbamate in Korean traditional alcoholic beverages and general beverages, GC/MS-SIM method was used after extraction of beverages with dichloromethane. The contents of ethyl carbamate in Korean traditional alcoholic beverages, non-distilled alcohol, and whisky were detected in the range of $4.6-50.2{\mu}g/L$, $27.8-45.4{\mu}g/L$, and $24.8-55.1{\mu}g/L$, respectively. The recoveries were ranged from 83.3 to 104.8 %. The values of relative standard deviation were ranged from 1.8 to 14.8 % and the detection limit was $0.3{\mu}g/L$.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.112-116
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• 2006

Levels of ethyl carbamate, by-product produced naturally during fermentation, in Korean alcoholic beverages were determined by Gas Chromatography/mass spectrometry/selected ion mode (GC/MS/SIM), and their daily intake by Korean adult group was estimated. In GC/MS/SIM analysis 0.8-10.1, 0.5-0.8, 0.4-0.9, 3.5-689.9, 8.4-30.3, 13.9-30.0, and 1.7-11.7 ppb of ethyl carbamate were detected in soju, beer, takju, fruit wine, cheongju, whiskey, and grape wine, respectively. Maximum daily exposure of ethyl carbamate through alcoholic beverage consumption was 7.41 ng/kg body weight/day for average Korean male, with one soju brand and two fruit wine brands showing high ethyl carbamate level.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2007

Levels of ethyl carbamate, a potential carcinogen produced naturally during fermentation, in major Korean fermented foods and some selected alcoholic beverages were determined by GC/MS/SIM, and their average daily intake and excess cancer risk of Korean people were estimated. In GC/MS/SIM analysis average 1.41, 19.44, 3.00 and 170.88 ${\mu}$g/kg of ethyl carbamates were detected in Baechu kimchi, Japanese soy sauces, Soju and fruit brandy, respectively. The average and maximum daily exposures to ethyl carbamate through major Korean fermented foods and alcoholic beverage consumption were 9.42 and 35.75 ng/kg bw/day for Korean female aged 20-64 years, and 12.73 and 48.87 ng/kg bw/day for Korean male respectively, which were mainly contributed by Baechu kimchi, Japanese soy sauces, Soju and fruit brandy. The average and maximum excess cancer risks were $4.7{\times}10^{-7}$ and $1.8{\times}10^{-6}$ for Korean female, and $6.4{\times}10^{-7}$ and $2.4{\times}10^{-6}$ for Korean male. Therefore, the industries related to fermented foods and alcoholic beverages need to make an effort to reduce the amount of ethyl carbamate in their products.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1961-1967
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• 2006

Levels of ethyl carbamate, a potential carcinogen produced naturally during fermentation, in major Korean fermented foods and alcoholic beverages were determined by GC/MS/SIM, and their average daily intake and excess cancer risk in Korean people were estimated. In GC/MS/SIM analysis n.d.-4.26, 1.40-58.90, n.d.-3.76, n.d.-1.87, and 0.40-10.07 $\mu$g/kg of ethyl carbamate were detected in kimchi, soy sauces, fermented pastes, fermented dairy products, and alcoholic beverages, respectively. The average daily intake of ethyl carbamate and excess cancer risk through major Korean fermented foods and alcoholic beverage consumption were 6.0 ng/kg bw/day and $3.0\times10^{-7}$, respectively for the average Korean person aged 3-64 years, and were mainly contributed by Chinese cabbage kimchi, soy sauces, and Soju.