A Review on Modified Methods of Chromotropic Acid for Easier Evaluation of Methanol in Alcoholic Beverages

Abstract

Methanol intoxication primarily occurs through the ingestion of methanol-containing alcoholic beverages. Therefore, determining the toxic levels of methanol in these products is crucial, whether done by individuals before consuming the drink or during product quality control in the production process. This article reviews the efforts made in this field from 2000 to 2025. There are many valuable articles on the different aspects of methanol intoxication. However, our findings indicate that there are few reports on simple methods for measuring methanol in alcoholic beverages. Therefore, published articles in both English and Persian from 2000 to 2025 were included in this review. The review of the data showed that (1) some important efforts have been made for the rapid, easy, and cost-effective detection of methanol in alcoholic beverages; (2) in most of these efforts, the chromotropic acid method is used; (3) a significant portion of these attempts has been conducted by Iranian researchers; and (4) there are suitable potential methods for this purpose. The high rate of methanol poisoning in poor and developing countries is a major concern for health authorities in these countries. Efforts made in recent years have led to design different methods for the identification and measurement of methanol in alcoholic beverages before consuming. It seems their low-cost and easy application can help to prevent the drinking of alcoholic beverages contaminated with toxic amounts of methanol and increasing of public health.