Determination of Methyl Alcohol
Alcoholic beverages based on fermentation have been produced since ancient times. However, in our country and in many parts of the world, serious illegal alcoholic beverages are produced. High methanol content is found in alcoholic beverages produced by traditional distilleries or some breweries. As a result, there is a risk of a high methanol concentration in these products. For this reason, the amount of methanol in some fermented foods and alcoholic beverages is measured by gas chromatography in advanced laboratories.The results show a certain amount of methanol in some of the domestic and foreign alcoholic beverages. The methanol levels observed in the beverages analyzed pose a health threat to the human body when consumed, and the alcohol health risk associated with high consumption still remains a problem.
Sources of raw materials for alcohol production are fruits, sugarcane, grapes, barley and similar plants. The main method for the production of alcohol is the fermentation or separation method. Some of the traditional alcohol producers do not have enough information about the basic chemical compositions of the alcohol they produce. For this reason, alcoholic beverages with high methanol content and other potentially health-threatening components are encountered. Dangerous chemical compounds such as lead and methanol in alcohol are dangerous for human health. Ethanol and methanol have similar physicochemical properties and are formed as by-products after distillation.
