Fig.4b SERS spectra of EC adsorbed on different substrates.opj from Detection of ethyl carbamate in liquors using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Ethyl carbamate (EC), a potential carcinogen, can be formed during the fermentation and storage of alcoholic beverages. In this work, quantitative detection of EC in alcoholic beverages by using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was reported. Flower-shaped silver nanostructure substrates and silver nanocubes substrates were prepared and employed as SERS platform. Flower-like silver substrates had better Raman enhancement effect on EC and were selected for further EC detection. In EC SERS spectra based on flower-shaped silver substrates, the strongest and reproducible characteristic band at 857 cm⁻¹ was chosen for establishing linear regression model in the concentrations ranging from 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻⁹ M, which effectively extended the application scope of the quantitative model for determination EC. Furthermore, the real alcoholic beverage was tested to verify the feasibility and reliability of the method.