Ethyl carbamate (EC) is usually formed by the spontaneous reaction between ethanol and by-products produced by incomplete metabolism of nitrogen-containing compounds during the fermentation of fermented foods (bread， sour milk， soy cheese， etc.) and alcoholic beverages (wine， sake， Chinese yellow rice wine， etc.). EC is a potential genotoxic and carcinogenic to humans. Chinese yellow rice wine is a traditional and unique fermented wine in China. It is popular among consumers because of its unique flavor and high nutritional value. However， EC content of traditional Chinese yellow rice wine is significantly higher than other alcoholic beverages， which gives a potential threat to the health of consumers. Therefore， EC reduction is of great importance to the sustainable development of the rice wine industry. In this paper， the metabolic regulation mechanism of urea， citrulline and arginine was comprehensively introduced， and the methods of controlling EC production in rice wine fermentation were summarized.