Using an Easy and Fast Modified Chemical Method for Detection of Methanol Content in Drinking Herbal Distillates

Methanol is one of the most popular organic solvents that have extensive applications in industries and household usages [1]. There are different amounts of methanol in all alcoholic and some non-alcoholic drinks (such as herbal distillates) [2,3]. Methanol is produced and stored as a carbon reserve in all land plants tissues liquid pools, especially green stems and leaves in all life duration [4-9]. Concerning the metabolism related methanol release, Frenkel et al. [10] found that methanol within the leaf is mostly produced as a consequence of the demethylation of the pectin matrix, a necessary step in the extension of the cell walls during plant growth [10]. On the basis of the pectin content, Galbally et al. [11] distinguished between two major cell wall types with a high or low potential for methanol release [11]. Most other plants have cell walls with a higher potential of methanol release. To a minor extent, methanol can be the result of an enzymatic cleavage of lignin, demethylation of DNA and protein repair pathways [10,11]. So, existence of it in herbaceous distillates is due to biological activities of plant in its life time, because, absence of permanent and sufficient carbon reservoirs for land plants in different seasons of year and dependence on photosynthesis process to environmental conditions are caused, they produce and store methanol as a carbon reserve in their all tissues liquid pools due to its high solubility, especially green stems and leaves in all life duration [4-6]. Also, kinds of stresses like hypoxia, frost and high ozone concentrations, senescing, injuring (e.g. herbivore attacks, cutting), drying of leaves and even plant’s aging can increase the methanol production in plant [7-9,12-15]. Based on it, several authors reported methanol emission to atmosphere as part of the plant metabolism particularly during growth [16-20].