EC formation was slow during yellow rice wine fermentation and rapid post-wine frying. EC showed significant difference preand post-frying, which suggested that frying was a critical factor that influenced EC formation. This suggested that it may be possible to decrease EC formation by optimization of frying and sterilization conditions. Post-yellow rice wine frying, the natural cooling process increased the EC concentration, while decreased the EC formation when rapidly cooled to 30 C. High temperature increased EC formation, in which the wine stored at 37 C increased about 6 times from 74 to 509.4 lg/kg after 400 days storage, while wine at room temperature and 4 C increased to 131.8 and 84.2 lg/kg,respectively. EC increased during storage and in the sales process, there was significant difference between the
fried wine compared to the wine that was on sale in 2011 (p < 0.01). Urea was an important precursor in EC formation and was present in the starter material, and in the product metabolized by microorganisms. Urea increased during fermentation and was over 20 mg/kg, which was one of the critical factors that influenced EC formation during wine frying and storage conditions. It may be necessary for the corporations to optimize the critical factors influencing EC formation such as the frying conditions for temperature and time, as well as the cooling method conditions and storage
temperature. Some other methods such as the utilization of strains with low urea product or the addition of acidic urease to degrade urea in the yellow rice wine may decrease EC formation.