Expert: George Maxwell - 2/20/2008

Question
QUESTION: hi~ i am hihemr
i'd like to ask
is thete any method can test the effective of Alocholout product which is supposted to against the consumption of alcoholic drinks , and said to be the drugs protect the stomach and liver from alcohol intoxication

if it do
where can i get the test procedure?
thank you so much ~

ANSWER: Hi, and thank you for your question.

I don't know of any detailed test procedure for this product. However, my office has investigated claims by similar products, and found that there is no direct evidence that they are beneficial.

The problem is that the only way to prevent alcohol being metabolized is to break it down in to simpler compounds, and the majority of these compounds are harmful in themselves.

Preventing intoxication involves preventing alcohol being absorbed in to the bloodstream in the stomach, and travelling to the brain. Stopping this process will probably prevent the individual feeling drunk, which could allow them to build up dangerous alcohol levels without realizing it.

Of course, I have not tested the product in question, so I cannot reject it outright, but I would be cautious about using it for the reasons above.

In summary - it's unlikely to be very good for your health even if it works!

Thank you again.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: so in that case
may i ask how to determine the concentration of methanol in red wine ? as i know it's really a little in red wine also ~ as red wine got a deep red color so ~ what indicator should i use ? thanks a lot

Answer
Thank you for your follow-up.

The only reliable method for determining methanol in ethanol concentration is using instrumental methods (e.g. gas chromatography, mass spectroscopy).

Chemical methods are not selective enough to reliably and quantitatively distinguish between ethanol and methanol, and colour-change indicators are (in the main) confined to acid-base reactions.


Methanol concentration in alcohol is limited by law, so most of the effects of alcohol intoxication are either due to other compounds (e.g. formaldehyde), or to the production of methanol in the digestion of alcohol - in which case, you wouldn't be able to detect it in the original wine.

Hope this helps.

Note - one international standard recommends no more than
6mg in 100ml of wine.