Estimates of Non-Alcoholic Food-Derived Ethanol and Methanol Exposure in Humans

Food-derived alcohol is almost not in question due to its low concentration. Nevertheless, could it pose a problem for some risk groups and forensic cases? To answer this, we aimed to simultaneously evaluate ethanol and methanol ingredients of a variety of non-alcoholic foods in two different countries and estimate their possible health and forensic consequences. Alcohols in foods were analyzed by headspace gas chromatography. Human average acute daily food consumptions and food-derived blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) were determined by using the data of The European Food Safety Authority Nutrition Survey. Methanol and ethanol ingredients of similar foods varied between the two cities. Most foods produce higher methanol concentrations than the maximum allowable dose level (23 mg). Especially fruit juices lead to the critical level of ethanol for children (6 mg/kg body weight). Based on the results, adult daily intake of selected food groups does not bear ethanol that exceeds the legal limit of BAC or the limit not allowed from a religious perspective and does not lead to acute alcohol toxicity. But these low levels of ethanol and methanol consumed via non-alcoholic foods for life can raise the vulnerability to chronic health problems (cancer, liver cirrhosis, Alzheimer's disease, autism, ocular toxicity and alterations in fetal development) and may lead to positive ethanol metabolite results (e.g., ethyl glucuronide) when a low cutoff level is used. Therefore, studies on the alcohol contents of various natural and processed non-alcoholic foods along with their effects on humans and new regulations on labeling the food products and conscious food consumption are of particular importance. It would also be important to consider unintentional alcohol consumption via non-alcoholic foods in the evaluation of clinical and forensic cases.