Removal of urea from alcoholic beverages with an acid urease

✍ Scribed by Kyoichi Kobashi; Sachiko Takebe; Tatsuo Sakai

• Book ID: 102293744
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 122 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0260-437X
• DOI: 10.1002/jat.2550080112

✦ Synopsis

Urethan, a cancer causing chemical, was reported to contaminate some alcoholic beverages. Since urethan is formed by heating urea with ethyl-alcohol, removal of urea is necessary to prevent urethan formation in alcoholic beverages. Acid urease, whose optimal pH lies around 4, lowered urea concentrations in Japanese sake. This finding indicates a protective effect of acid urease on urethan's potential hazards in alcohol.