OREANDA-NEWS  Russia has entered into force amendments that prohibit "dry alcohol".

Thus, the production and circulation of "food or non-food products in the form of dry matter intended for production in liquid form and containing in its composition more than 0.5% ethyl alcohol" has become illegal now.

As explained in the government, one of the main risks of selling "dry alcohol" is that the consumer can change the dosage regardless of the manufacturer's recommendations. Thus, such products are potentially dangerous to health.

At the same time, the components used for the production of alcohol-containing perfume, cosmetics, sanitary and hygienic products, household chemicals and chemical products will not be banned.

"Dry alcohol" was first patented in late 1966 in Japan by Sato Food Industries. A similar patent was granted in the United States in March 1974 to General Foods Corporation. The process of making the powder is encapsulation  at the molecular level of alcohol into tiny fractions using starch derivatives - cyclodextrins or molasses. The result is a dry substance in the form of powder, which when diluted with water again becomes a drink.

As a rule, it is distributed in bags weighing about 30 g, which are diluted in a glass of water. When diluting the dry matter with water, you can get an alcoholic drink with the characteristics of vodka, rum, various cocktails.

Currently, the only fully legal market for powdered alcohol is Japan, where it is equal to conventional alcohol, its sales are about 1% of the total sales of alcoholic beverages. In some countries, powdered alcohol is often banned at the regional level due to little knowledge of its effects on the human body. In Germany or the United States it is distributed via the Internet, using loopholes in the law, which usually means only alcohol liquid.