Beeswax is the purified wax obtained from honeycomb of hive bee, Apis mellifera Linn and other species of Apis, belonging to family Apidae.
BEESWAX
Synonyms
White beeswax, yellow beeswax, cera alba, and cera flava.
Biological Source
Beeswax is the purified wax obtained from honeycomb of hive
bee, Apis mellifera Linn and other
species of Apis, belonging to family Apidae.
Geographical Source
It is mainly found in Jamaica, Egypt, Africa, India, France,
Italy, California etc.
Preparation
The worker bee secretes the wax due to the ability of
maintaining a high temperature and the wax is secreted in the last four
segments of abdomen on the ventral surface. Just below the sterna it has a
smooth layer of cells form the chitinous area that secretes the wax. The
chitinous area has small pores through, which the wax exudes out. The wax is
passed to the front leg and later to the mouth; in the mouth it gets mixed with
the saliva, which is then built on the comb. This wax forms a capping on the
honey cells. Wax forms about 1/8th part of the honeycomb. After removal of
honey, honeycomb or the capping is melted in boiling water. On cooling the
melted wax gets solidified and floats on the surface of water while the
impurities settle below and honey leftovers get dissolved in water. The pure
wax is then poured into earthen vessels wiped with damp cloth and the wax so
obtained is yellow beeswax.
White beeswax is obtained from yellow beeswax. The yellow
beeswax is runned on a thin stream of spinning wet drum, from which long ribbon
like strips are scrapped off. The ribbon strips are placed on cloth in thin
layers, rotated from time to time and bleached in sunlight till the outer layer
becomes white. White beeswax is obtained by treating yellow beeswax chemically
with potassium permanganate, chromic acid or chlorine or charcoal.
Characterisitics
Yellow wax or Cera flava is yellowish to greyish brown
coloured solid, with agreeable, honey-like odour and a faint, characteristic
taste. When cold, it is somewhat brittle and when broken, shows presence of a
dull, granular, noncrystalline fracture. Yellow wax is insoluble in water and
sparingly soluble in cold alcohol. It is completely soluble in chloroform,
ether, and in fixed or volatile oils, partly soluble in cold benzene or in
carbon disulphide and completely soluble in these liquids at about 30°C.
White wax is less unctuous to the touch; it is yellow, soft,
and ductile at 35°C and fusible at 65°C. A yellowish-white solid, somewhat
translucent in thin layers. It has a faint, characteristic odour which is free
from rancidity and tasteless. It is insoluble in water, soluble in chloroform,
ether, fixed oil, and volatile oils (hot turpentine oil) and sparingly soluble
in alcohol. It is not affected by the acids at ordinary temperatures, but is
converted into a black mass when boiled with concentrated sulphuric acid.
Chemical Constituents
Beeswax contains myricin, which is melissyl palmitate;
melting point 64°C, free cerotic acid (C26H52O2),
myricyl alcohol (C30H61OH) is liberated when myricyl
palmitate is saponified. Melissic acid, some unsaturated acids of the oleic
series, ceryl alcohol, and 12 to 13% higher hydrocarbons are present.
Uses
Beeswax is used in the preparation of ointments, plaster,
and polishes.
Adulterants
Beeswax is adulterated by solid paraffin, ceresin, carnauba
wax, or other fats and waxes of animal or mineral origin. Spermaceti and lard
render wax softer and less cohesive, of a smoother and less granular fracture
and different odour when heated. The melting point and specific gravity are
lowered by tallow, suet, lard, and especially by paraffin. Ceresin, a
principle obtained from ozokerite is also employed as an adulterant. In yellow
wax the iodine value is also of use as a test for detection of adulterants but
in white wax the bleaching process has altered the bodies which absorb the
iodine.
Marketed Products
It is one of the ingredients of the preparations known as
Saaf Organic Eraser Body Oil and Jatyadi tail (Dabur).
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