Influence of fast and slow distillation on ethyl carbamate content and on coefficient of non-alcohol components in Brazilian sugarcane spirits

Ethyl carbamate is an impurity present in distilled beverages. Given the risk of it being a carcinogenic substance, Brazilian legislation has determined that its presence in distilled beverages, such as ‘aguardente’ and ‘cachaça’ (two types of sugarcane spirits), should be limited to a maximum of 150 µg/L. Ordinary spirits usually contain variable amounts of ethyl carbamate, although in lower concentrations than the maximum determined by law. The finding that commercial spirits had a much lower concentration of this impurity (around 50 µg/L) led the authors to research the reasons for the differences, and these are explored in this paper, with a focus on the speed of the distillation process and its influence on the spirit's composition. The team conducted research in a sugarcane distillery producing ‘aguardente’ using a simple pot still and measured the influence of fast and slow distillation on the presence of ethyl carbamate and non‐alcohol components in the process. The results demonstrated that the speed of distillation was proportionally related to the concentration of ethyl carbamate and secondary components in the beverage's composition. Copyright © 2012 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling