Why is it in the news?

• At least 34 people have died, and around 100 others have been hospitalised after consuming hooch, or spurious liquor, in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi.

About Spurious Liquor

• Spurious liquor, commonly referred to as hooch, is a term used to describe low-quality alcohol that can be extremely dangerous when consumed.
• Unlike regulated and quality-controlled branded liquor, hooch is typically produced in crude, makeshift settings with minimal oversight.
• Hooch is primarily crafted to induce intoxication, but due to its unregulated production methods, it can be deadly if not prepared correctly. Unfortunately, determining the safety of hooch without consumption is challenging.

Manufacture:

Spurious liquor is created through two fundamental processes – fermentation and distillation.

• Fermentation: In this process, yeast interacts with sugars derived from various sources like grains or fruits to ferment and produce an alcohol-infused mixture. Fermentation, a traditional method used in producing beverages such as beer and wine, has a limitation as yeast becomes toxic in high alcohol levels. To boost alcohol concentration beyond a certain level, distillation is necessary.
• Distillation: This involves separating alcohol from the fermented mixture by evaporation and condensation, exploiting the differing boiling points of various components. Distilled beverages are much stronger than fermented ones.
• Spurious liquor is produced by distilling a fermented mixture composed of local yeast, sugar, or fruit, mainly in rudimentary setups – a large vessel for boiling the mix, a pipe for fume transfer, and a pot for alcohol condensation. Multiple distillation rounds are conducted to increase alcohol potency.

Hazardous:

• The crude production techniques of spurious liquor pose inherent risks, especially concerning the presence of methanol, a highly toxic industrial alcohol, alongside consumable ethanol in the distilled mixture. Unlike non-distilled beverages containing trace methanol, distillation concentrates both methanol and ethanol. Incorrect distillation can produce a final product with high methanol levels, endangering consumers.
• Temperature control during distillation is crucial, as toxic methanol evaporates at a lower temperature than ethanol. Commercial distilleries maintain precise temperatures to discard toxic methanol; however, hooch production lacks this accuracy, making the process unsafe.

Treatment:

• Consumption of methanol in spurious liquor can result in vision impairment, high toxicity, and metabolic acidosis, where the body accumulates excess acid that cannot be eliminated naturally.
• Treatment involves intravenous administration of Fomepizole and ethanol, though availability issues may limit access to Fomepizole in some regions of India. Alternative treatment includes a 1:1 mixture of ethanol and water, hindering methanol’s conversion into toxins and aiding its elimination from the body through natural processes or dialysis.