Beeswax
About This Product
Beeswax is secreted by honeybees to build comb, and is recovered by melting and filtering that comb. It is a complex natural mixture, principally esters of long-chain fatty acids with long-chain alcohols, together with free acids and hydrocarbons, and it carries CAS number 8012-89-3 and the European additive number E901.
Two forms are supplied. Yellow beeswax, Cera Flava, is filtered but otherwise unmodified and retains the colour and characteristic honey aroma of the comb. White beeswax, Cera Alba, is the same material bleached, and is specified where the coating must not tint a pale confection or a white-coated tablet.
In food its function is surface rather than bulk. As a glazing agent it forms a thin hydrophobic film that slows moisture loss from fresh fruit and cheese, prevents sugar-panned confectionery from sticking and blooming, and gives the gloss expected on dragees and coated supplements. The same barrier property is why it is used on chewing gum base and as a carrier in ointments.
Melting range, typically 61-65°C, and acid and ester values are the specification points that matter, since they determine how the coating sets and how it behaves in a panning drum. Confirm the grade, the origin and whether a food-grade or pharmacopoeial specification is required at the time of enquiry.
Specifications
Applications
Packaging Options
- Pack size confirmed on enquiry
Start with the recipe and the market
- Finished food, target function and process conditions
- Required grade, physical form and critical limits
- Destination market and permitted-use requirements
- Quantity, packaging and delivery destination
Confirm the evidence before ordering
Food-grade identity alone does not establish permission for every food or country. Confirm permitted use, limits and labelling requirements for the intended market. Certification availability must be checked for the nominated product and manufacturing site.
Product illustrations show representative material and packaging. The quotation confirms the actual source, grade, pack size and labelling.
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