Methanol contamination in traditionally fermented alcoholic beverages: the microbial dimension

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Table 3 Regulatory limits of methanol in beverages

Country	Maximum methanol value^a	Reference
Brazil	0.5 % (0.5 ml/100 ml)	Mendonca et al. (2011)
Thailand	0.024 % (240 mg/l)	Chaiyasut et al. (2013)
Australia/New Zealand	0.8 % (8 g/l)	Chaiyasut et al. (2013)
EU^b	200 g/hl (0.2 % for wine & brandy, 1000 g/hl (1 %) for grape marc spirit and fruit spirit, 1500 g/hl (1.5 %) for fruit marc spirit	European Community (2008)
USA	0.1 %	FDA (Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act 21 USC 34 (a)(2)(C)
Vietnam	0.3 %	Socialist Republic of Vietnam (2010)
Nigeria	0.0005 % (5 mg/l)	NAFDAC (2005)

^aConcentration of methanol in ethanol
^bEU limits for methanol in alcoholic beverages is variable depending on the type of beverage and the feedstock used for fermentation