This work aimed at verifying the authenticity of alcoholic beverages (whisky, vodka, ginger spirit, etc.) sent for analysis by the Instituto Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo from 1993 to August 1999. The chemical composition of these drinks was studied because of the presence of illicit alcoholic beverages on the national market, especially those with a high commercial value. These products are usually elaborated with alcohol, water, flavor and caramel coloring. Since there is no control over these raw materials, these drinks could offer a potential risk to human health because of the presence of methanol. The method employed in the analysis of congeners and methanol in alcoholic products was gas-liquid chromatography with flame ionization detector. It was observed that 391 of the 608 samples of alcoholic beverages analyzed, were counterfeit, and 2 of them presented levels of methanol above the limit tolerated by the Brazilian legislation (200mg/100mL absolute alcohol). The results obtained suggest a great persistence in producing counterfeit alcoholic beverages. Thus, it is very important to constantly analyze these products, and identify the different kinds of counterfeiting in the country.
alcoholic beverages; authenticity; gas-chromatography; congeners; methanol
