Ethyl carbamate prevalence in spirits

Ethyl carbamate (EC) is an ethyl ester of carbamic acid . It is a compound that can occur naturally in fermented beverages and foods, such as spirits, wine, beer, bread, soy sauce and yoghurt. Ethyl carbamate can be formed from various substances derived from food and beverages, including hydrogen cyanide, urea, citrulline, and other N-carbamyl compounds. The presence of Ethyl carbamate in beverages is an indicator of either poor storage conditions or exposure and stress to heat or improper fermentation. EC has been implicated in skin irritation and obviously pose serious health risk to humans when present at high concentration. However attention should be made and more awareness created since it¿s toxicological relevance has been partially elucidated, it is recommended that certain limits(threshold limits) has to be established in beverages and other fermented foods and thus minimizing health hazards.