What is the Beeswax
Bee product par excellence, in addition to honey and propolis, beeswax is a secretion of homonyms, small, insects ( Apis mellifera ), with which they build the internal structures of the hive (honeycomb) where the honey is stored.
For many years, therefore, beeswax was a material of enormous importance for man, being the only natural product available of its kind. Currently, the field of use of beeswax has shrunk, since it has been replaced with similar materials, sometimes less expensive. However, this does not mean that beeswax has lost its value. Not to be forgotten, in fact, that beeswax is a by-product of honey extraction: it is believed that bees must fly for 530, 000 km to collect a kilo of honey.
Production
The honeycomb represents a geometric construction made up of thousands of small cells: small hexagonal containers built with extreme precision by the bees in which honey and pollen are deposited and where the larvae are raised.
This construction is entirely made up of wax, a secretion product of the ceriparous glands placed in the ventral part of the abdomen of worker bees. The aforementioned glands do not work during the entire life of the insect, but only in the juvenile phase, which corresponds to the period between the 10th and 18th day from the flicker. Furthermore, the glands are able to produce the wax only when the temperature of the hive is variable between 33 and 36 ° C. The ceriparous glands form wax in the form of droplets: in contact with the air, the droplets solidify forming small flakes of wax, which remain "glued" to the bee's abdomen. Subsequently, the insect extracts the wax flakes from the abdomen with the legs, to model them with the jaws together with pollen and propolis.
The procedure just described is repeated hundreds of times for each scale: the final result, derived from all the 10, 000-90, 000 worker bees of the hive, will be the perfect construction of the honeycomb [taken from Apiculture, technical and practical, by A. Pistoia] .
Collection and extraction
The collection of the comb is essential to recover the wax, as well as to obtain the honey. Wax extraction can be done in three ways:
- In a bain-marie / boiling water;
- By fusion, by means of solar waxers (solar energy is used to melt the wax);
- Via presses and steam.
Generally, from each honeycomb a quantity of beeswax equal to 80-110 grams is obtained.
The beeswax obtained from brood honeycombs in which the larvae are bred, on the other hand, is darker in color, due to the greater number of impurities trapped in it. Therefore, before being used for any purpose, this wax must be properly treated and purified.
Types of Beeswax
Depending on the procedures to which it is subjected following its collection, we can distinguish two types of beeswax, the uses of which are in any case overlapping:
- Yellow wax : it is the wax obtained by simple collection and extraction from the comb. It is yellow in color and is characterized by its typical and pleasant aroma.
- Cera alba : is obtained through the purification and bleaching of yellow wax by the action of air or by the action of chemical agents such as chlorine, chromic acid, hydrogen peroxide, etc. Normally, alba wax does not have the delicate and pleasant aroma that, instead, characterizes the untreated yellow wax.
Features
As soon as the wax is secreted by the bees' ceriparous glands, this is white; subsequently, due to the presence of the pigments contained in the pollen and in the propolis, the wax takes on a yellow-reddish color (yellow wax), sometimes brown.
The wax is greasy to the touch, ductile and flexible, and has an intense aroma. Its melting point is 62-65 ° C.
Chemical analysis
Given that it is a completely natural product, the chemical composition of beeswax is quite variable. In particular, the variations are particularly accentuated between one geographical area and another.
However, in general, beeswax is roughly made up of:
- 70-80% of wax acid esters (palmitic, melissic and cerotic acid);
- 12-16% of hydrocarbons;
- 14% of free fatty acids and derivatives (palmitic acid, palmitates, etc.);
- 1-5% of propolis, pigments and other substances;
- 1-2% of free alcohols;
- 1-2% of water.
Clearly, beeswax is a product belonging to the lipid category, therefore it is insoluble in water, partially soluble in alcohol and completely soluble in compounds such as chloroform, gasoline, ether, etc.
Property
Given its particular composition, beeswax is endowed with various properties that allow a wide use in different sectors.
In detail, beeswax is equipped with:
- Emollient properties;
- Water repellent and protective properties (as it forms a sort of film on the surface on which it is applied);
- Emulsifying and viscosizing properties.
In ancient times, moreover, it was believed that beeswax also possessed healing properties and, for this reason, it was applied hot (therefore melted) on the wounds, in order to facilitate its healing.
However, most likely, beeswax could facilitate wound healing, not because it had real healing properties, but because it could create a barrier that could protect the wound from the external environment, while preventing the development of any infections.
uses
As mentioned, the properties of beeswax are exploited in many areas. In fact, they are well suited to the formulation of candles, cosmetic products and pharmacological specialties, as well as being used for the preparation of polishing products.
Cosmetic uses
In the cosmetic field, beeswax is used for its water-repellent and protective potential on the stratum corneum: in fact, close to the skin, products formulated with beeswax form a sort of protective film, able to prevent the excessive water loss from the skin.
Moreover, given its emollient properties and its ability to form very stable emulsions, beeswax is widely used in the preparation of lipogels, lip sticks, emulsions and ointments.
At the same time, cosmetics make use of this beekeeping product as a viscosity agent and to give greater stability to different types of cosmetic preparations, such as ointments and emulsions.
Food uses
Beeswax is a very safe ingredient, so much so that it also finds different uses in the food sector.
In fact, it is used to coat cheeses, although sometimes the wax that surrounds the cheese is replaced by plastic.
Furthermore, beeswax is used as a food additive (distinguished by the abbreviation E901) with a polishing action. Therefore, it is used to give foods a shiny appearance.
Other uses
Beeswax finds numerous other uses, such as, for example:
- Candle production;
- Production of furniture and shoe polishing products;
- To assemble pool tables;
- For the production of mustache wax;
- For the production of Punic wax, a substance used in certain painting techniques;
- For the production of handmade soaps;
- To create different types of molds to be used in the so-called lost wax casting.
Side effects
Normally, beeswax is an ingredient so safe and well tolerated that it does not cause any kind of undesired effect, even when applied to the most sensitive skin.
However, like any other substance, the possible onset of allergic reactions in sensitive individuals cannot be excluded, especially when it is not completely purified as it may contain traces of honey, propolis, pollen or other impurities.
Summary
To fix the concepts ...
Beeswax: description | A beekeeping product par excellence in addition to honey and propolis, beeswax is a secretion of bees ( Apis mellifera ); is a by-product of honey processing |
Beeswax: function in the honeycomb | Beeswax is the internal structure of the hive (honeycomb) in which the honey is stored |
Production of beeswax |
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Beeswax: coloring |
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Beeswax: general characteristics |
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Beeswax: chemical composition | Approximate chemical composition of beeswax:
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Beeswax: collection and extraction | Beeswax extraction:
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Beeswax: uses |
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Beeswax: side effects | Normally it does not induce side effects. There is however the possibility of allergic reactions occurring in sensitive individuals. |
