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Eur Food Res Technol (2013) 236:891898 DOI 10.1007/s00217-013-1953-6
ORIGINAL PAPER
Analysis and risk assessment of ethyl carbamate in various fermented foods
Kwang-Geun Lee
Received: 10 December 2012 / Revised: 15 February 2013 / Accepted: 26 February 2013 / Published online: 16 March 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
Abstract Ethyl carbamate (EC) was analyzed in fermented foods, comprising various matrices; subsequently, a risk assessment for EC was carried out. In total, 128 fermented foods were purchased from department stores and traditional markets in Korea. The samples comprised 55 lactic acidfermented vegetable (kimchi), 53 fermented soybean paste (doenjang, gochujang, cheonggukjang, and ssamjang), 20 fermented sh products (jeotgal), 18 yoghurt, 37 bread, 12 cheese, and 23 vinegar samples. The level of EC in fermented soybean pastes ranged from not detectable to 240.2 ng g-1. EC was not detected in kimchi, jeotgals, yoghurt, and cheese. Bread and vinegar contained EC up to3.70 and 16.79 ng g-1, respectively. The estimated daily intake and chronic daily intake of EC were 1.98 ng kg body weight (bw)-1 day-1, 1.50 ng kg bw-1 day-1, respectively. Excess cancer risk and margin of exposure of EC were 7.5 9 10-8 and 151,515, respectively.
Keywords Ethyl carbamate Fermented foods Risk
assessment Food matrix
Introduction
Ethyl carbamate (EC) or urethane, an ethyl ester of carbamic acid, has been classied as a Group 2A carcinogen, probably carcinogenic to humans, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer [1]. EC formed in fermented foods is genotoxic and carcinogenic in a number of experimental
animals. EC is found in various fermented foods including alcoholic beverages, bread, yoghurt, cheese, kimchi, and soy sauce [1, 2]. The FAO/WHA [3] has reviewed the levels of EC in alcoholic beverages and foods in various countries. A total of 190 breads from the UK and Denmark showed EC levels from not detectable to 12 lg kg-1 [4]. Thirty-two yoghurt samples from UK, Denmark, and various countries ranged from not detectable to 1.3 lg kg-1. No EC was
detected in cheese. The 48 soy sauces from Japan showed values from not detectable to 84 lg kg-1. In Korea, kimchi
EC levels range from not detectable (N.D.) to 16 lg kg-1
with a mean value of 4 lg kg-1 [5, 6]. Among 6,004 alcoholic beverages, the highest...