Abstract
During production of fruit distillates methanol develops after mashing at the break down of pectin, and transfers into the product during distillation. Since methanol is toxic to humans, there are legal limits that must be complied with and must be considered in the HACCP plan. An analysis is possible by gas chromatography in especially equipped laboratories. In order to be able to test the methanol content directly in the distillery, a Swiss company developed and launched a portable measuring instrument in 2022. In this study the instrument was tested for its manageability, and the measured values were compared to those of gas chromatography. The margin of deviation of the measured values was max. ± 7.8 %. Compared to the GC-values the data of the rapid test method were higher at an average of 2.5 % (GC method 1) and 3.3 % respectively (GC method 2). Thus, exceeding of the critical values is reliably indicated. Therefore, the rapid test method represents a good alternative to gas chromatography and allows a fast and simple measurement of the methanol content in distilleries due to its uncomplicated usability.