Formaldehyde in Beer

[jeskill]

Here's the situation:

 

I'm living in Istanbul, and I have a friend who is a brewer at the local microbrewery. He ranted to me once that the major brewery here (Efes Pilsen) adds formaldehyde to their beer, hence the nasty hangovers.

 

I've done some superficial google searches and haven't found any evidence that formaldehyde is actually in the beer, although quite a few people seem to believe this online. So it'd be fun to test the beer.

 

My question: How would one test the beer for formaldehyde in a low-budget way using common household chemicals? I know I can buy kits that'll test for formaldehyde but I thought it'd be more fun to do it the homegrown way. Also, most of the kits I've seen test formaldehyde in the air rather than in liquid. And they involve sending the kit away to a lab, which would be expensive for me.

 

Any ideas???

[woelen]

I think you will have a hard time, testing for formaldehyde. There are reactions for formaldehyde, but beer contains so many other chemicals, I'm quite sure that the reactions will not be specific.

 

But I'm 100% sure that the beer does not contain formaldehyde. This chemical is very toxic, and a known carcinogen. If this were added to the beer, then the beer would be really poisonous, even if the beer only contained 0.1% or so.

[jeskill]

Yeah, but developing countries have been known to do this. For example, this was an issue with Chinese breweries a while back:

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/050715/w071530.html

[budullewraagh]

If you add formaldehyde to beer the hydrate (methyl diol) will first be formed but, considering the fact that beer is slightly acidic, you'll probably have an equilibrium with the acetal, diethoxymethane.

 

So, how to test? Well, that's tough considering the fact that you'll have equilibration between formaldehyde and methyl diol (heavily favoring the diol) and methyl diol and diethoxymethane, which shouldn't significantly favor one reagent over the other.

 

I guess you could add some more acid to push the equilibrium towards diethoxymethane, then extract it (maybe with DCM? or acetone?), evaporate the solvent (it should be of a low boiling point, as the diethoxymethane boils at 87 Celsius) and distill the diethoxymethane. Just a hunch. Try it if you'd like.

[aj47]

But I'm 100% sure that the beer does not contain formaldehyde. This chemical is very toxic, and a known carcinogen. If this were added to the beer, then the beer would be really poisonous, even if the beer only contained 0.1% or so.

 

I always understood that formaldhyde is formed in the body anyway, as ethanol is oxidised by alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver. So why isn't formaldhyde as metabolite toxic? Is it that its not present long enough in the body before being oxidised again ?

[Darkblade48]

I always understood that formaldhyde is formed in the body anyway, as ethanol is oxidised by alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver. So why isn't formaldhyde as metabolite toxic? Is it that its not present long enough in the body before being oxidised again ?

Formaldehyde is not formed in the body when ethanol is oxidized. It is acetaldehyde that is formed, which is then oxidized to acetic acid (and can be incorporated into TCA as acetyl CoA, etc).

 

Formaldehyde would only be formed when people drink methanol (and end up poisoning themselves)

[aj47]

my mistake, I always confuse formaldhyde as ethanal not methanal.

[psynapse]

This reminds me of a rather off topic beer, with hydrogen in it o when you burped you could sing with a really high voice. I heard this was popular in karyoke in Japan but I remain skeptical.

back on topic, what would the formaldehyde accomplish? Longer lasting? there is formaldehyde in cigarettes (tiny amount) so I suppose people can ingest a very small amount and not notice any immediate effects.

[JesuBungle]

There was a similar rumor going around that Foster's beer could be made into LSD because it had ergot in it. That gave me a good laugh. But in Istanbul, what kind of regulations do they have to guard against this?

[ecoli]

A better question would be why would they want to put formaldehyde in beer. I see no ecomonic benefits, and a can't imagine any company that wants to kill off it's consumers... well maybe cigarettes.

[jdurg]

I think you will have a hard time, testing for formaldehyde. There are reactions for formaldehyde, but beer contains so many other chemicals, I'm quite sure that the reactions will not be specific.

 

But I'm 100% sure that the beer does not contain formaldehyde. This chemical is very toxic, and a known carcinogen. If this were added to the beer, then the beer would be really poisonous, even if the beer only contained 0.1% or so.

 

Beer, as do all fermented beverages, contain a naturally substantial amount of methanol in it. I don't recall the actual percentage, but I believe it's around 0.2%. It is generated in the same way that ethanol is made during the fermentation process. In your body, just as ethanol is dehydrogenated into acetaldehyde and later acetic acid (which causes your muscles to hurt that next day if you've had a lot to drink), methanol is dehydrogenated into formaldehyde and later formic acid. The thing is, ethanol and methanol compete for the same enzyme; alcohol dehydrogenase. Because of the relatively high amounts of ethanol present in fermented beverages compared to methanol, the methanol cannot get converted into formaldehyde before it is excreted from your body.

 

A treatment for suspected methanol ingestion is to administer a great deal of ethanol to the individual. This will prevent the conversion of methanol into formaldehyde. Methanol itself is not any more toxic to the human body than ethanol is. It's just that the liver has a really bad habit of converting methanol to formaldehyde which is horrifically toxic.

 

In brewed beverages you may find methanol concentrations, but you won't find formaldehyde concentrations as there's nothing in the beer/wine/liquor to convert methanol to formaldehyde.

[Darkblade48]

In your body, just as ethanol is dehydrogenated into acetaldehyde and later acetic acid (which causes your muscles to hurt that next day if you've had a lot to drink)

I'm pretty sure it's lactic acid that causes muscle pains. Acetic acid in the body should be rapidly converted to acetyl-CoA, if my biochemistry memory serves me correctly.

[jdurg]

The metabolism of acetic acid takes some time so some of it does get distributed through the body. Lactic acid builds up during extreme exercise which is why muscles get sore that next day. With alcohol, you get the combination of both as alcohol metabolism results in higher lactic acid concentrations and the acetic acid that builds up takes a bit of time to metabolize away.

[John Cuthber]

I thought the body's acetate pool was turned over pretty fast.

Anyway, measuring traces of formaldehyde in beer would be easy enough in a lab but (at least as far as I can see) rather difficult at home.

I can't see why on earth anyone would add something to their product that would make people like it less. Beer doesn't go off so long as you keep the dirt out of it so I can't see HCHO as a preservative- you would need quite a lot anyway and the stuff would be undrinkable.

What's your friend's evidence for the addition of formaldehyde to beer?

[jdurg]

Formaldehyde has been known to be added to various alcoholic beverages because it was VERY cheap compared to the ethanol and apparently the taste isn't all that different from regular fermented beverages.

[jeskill]

So I asked why they would add formaldehyde and the answer I was given is that it acts as a preservative.

 

First, my friend says that the brewing standards at Efes are fairly low and the risk of contamination is fairly high. This I believe, because I've noticed that the beer does not always taste the same. Sometimes it tastes OK, other times the finish is really "dirty". (I don't know how else to describe it).

Anyways ... formaldehyde is apparently added because contamination occurs frequently.

 

Another reason is because the little shops that sell beer often don't refrigerate it. Instead, they leave the beer out in the sun all day. According to him, the changes in temperature change the beers flavour if there's no preservative.

 

As for why Turkey would allows formaldehyde ... well ... the place is really not a beacon of impartiality. The people who make up the laws regarding what's allowed to be put in beer are the beermakers, namely Efes.

[DarkHorse]

You are correct, they would not put formaldehyde in beer. Methanol is in beer but this i know for sure= methanol can convert to formaldehyde and formic acid metabolites but it is blocked if co-ingested with ethanol. Therefore, alcoholic beverages and fruit drinks have a high percentage of ethanol- and ethanol causes elimination of methanol through the breath and urine. That's why i see many college freshmen around here burping and going to the bathroom after drinking alcohol.

[Mr Skeptic]

A treatment for suspected methanol ingestion is to administer a great deal of ethanol to the individual. This will prevent the conversion of methanol into formaldehyde. Methanol itself is not any more toxic to the human body than ethanol is. It's just that the liver has a really bad habit of converting methanol to formaldehyde which is horrifically toxic.

 

Help help, I think I may have ingested some methanol.

[John Cuthber]

I imagine that by now the beer concerned has been drunk,

[Hangoverandover]

I am just a curious bystander with a big headache but I only had two beers. This is the second time it has happened. I'm in South Vietnam and I mentioned it to a friend and he said that it must be the formaldehyde. Pardon me for stringing out this rumor but it really made me consider whether or not I'll be having any more beer for quite a while.

So what other factors could be at play here and I'll rule out eating excessive sweets for you and will also add that I am of good health.