Relationship between Amino Acids and Ethyl Carbamate in Wine
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Abstract:
Ethyl carbamate, a type 2A carcinogen, widely exists in fermented foods and is generated by the reaction of carbamyl compounds and ethanol. The amino acids in grape juice are transformed to carbamyl compounds via the nitrogen metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and in turn form ethyl carbamate. To examine the relationship between amino acids and ethyl carbamate in wines, this study used a simulated grape juice lacking amino acids and compared its ethyl carbamate and urea content with that in normal simulative grape juice after fermentation. In addition, an N15 isotope tracer was used to confirm the contribution of amino acids in the formation of ethyl carbamate. The results showed that as the sole nitrogen fermentation source, diammonium phosphate could not generate ethyl carbamate and did not affect the normal fermentation process when it replaced the missing amino acids. Furthermore, urea and ethyl carbamate contents decreased significantly in the arginine-lacking simulated grape juice after fermentation, whereas the lack of other amino acids had no significant effect on this measure. N15 isotope tracing proved that the guanidine nitrogen atoms of arginine were involved in ethyl carbamate synthesis. The results of this study provide a new direction for mining the precursor of hazardous substances in fermented foods.
