Can by-products in country-made alcohols induce acute pancreatitis?
OBJECTIVE
We previously reported a high incidence of alcohol-related acute pancreatitis (AP) in Goa, India, where country-made alcoholic products are consumed in addition to the commercially available alcoholic products. We aimed to analyze the composition of these country-made alcoholic products consumed by a population with a high incidence of alcohol-related AP.


METHODS
Three locally distilled alcoholic products (ethanol content, >20%) regularly consumed by patients developing AP, as determined by responses in a patient questionnaire, were selected. Three commercially available products with comparable ethanol content (rum, whiskey, and brandy) were used for comparison. Representative samples were analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Compound assignments used mass spectral searches of the NIST library (2008).


RESULTS
Commercially available rum, whiskey, and brandy used for comparison contained the 2 major constituents, ethanol and water. In addition, the country-made alcoholic products contained a higher level of by-products including long-chain alcohols (eg, butanol, propanol), aldehydes (eg, acetaldehyde), acids (eg, acetic acid), and even traces of methanol.


CONCLUSIONS
Country-made alcoholic products contain many compounds in addition to ethanol. Given the high incidence of alcohol-related AP in the population where these products are consumed, further evaluation of their constituents in relation to the induction of pancreatic damage is warranted.
Department of General and Digestive Surgery, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. barr0264@flinders.edu.au
Savio G
SG
Barreto
Daniel
D
Jardine
Phoebe
P
Phillips
Madhav
M
Bhatia
Gino T P
GT
Saccone
D000433:1-Propanol / Q000032:analysis; D019342:Acetic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D000208:Acute Disease; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis*; D000447:Aldehydes / Q000032:analysis; D000440:Butanols / Q000032:analysis; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D000432:Methanol / Q000032:analysis; D019512:Pancreatitis, Alcoholic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000447:Aldehydes; D000440:Butanols; D000431:Ethanol; D000433:1-Propanol; D019342:Acetic Acid; D000432:Methanol