What Is a Shellac-Based Wax?

Fresh fruit will stay fresh longer and look better when a coat of shellac-based wax is applied.

In the grocer's produce aisle, only the fruit and vegetables with the least blemishes are on display. Those with the most blemishes are typically either taken off the display, or packaged for quick sale in a bag. For some fruits and vegetables, the natural waxy coating may have been removed during postharvest cleaning. That waxy coating makes apples shiny and cucumbers appear fresher. Grocers have mitigated this loss of natural wax by applying shellac-based waxes.

Produce Wax

A shellac-based wax is a food coating with shellac as its primary ingredient. Grocers use it primarily on produce to replace the natural coating. Produce wax may contain a combination of natural ingredients as well as synthetic compounds. Shellac is a naturally occurring resin, secreted by an insect called a lacca bug. The lacca bug places its secretions on its eggs to protect them, and some of it winds up on trees where the amber secretion is collected, processed and purified to be used as a food product.

Function

A primary function of shellac-based wax is to make the produce look more desirable. This only requires one or two drops of wax for each piece of fruit or vegetable. However, other functions of the wax include helping the produce to retain moisture, which can help the produce stay fresh longer while being shipped, while on display in the market and while at the consumer's home waiting to be cooked and eaten. Shellac-based wax also inhibits harmful mold from growing.

Furniture Wax

Another type of shellac-based wax is used to coat and seal furniture. The generic name for the product is actually shellac, and it is used as a sealer and is brushed on wood surfaces to help even out the staining process. This type of shellac has been used for wood finishing since the early 19th century and is typically a mixture of 2 lb. of pure shellac to one gallon of alcohol.

Kosher

While shellac-based wax isn't necessarily a food, it is a food product, which means it's application could cause some concerns for those with specific food restrictions. For those who live a kosher lifestyle, for example, the wax presents no problem -- the insect is not kosher; its secretion is.

References

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Produce Safety
• Star-K; Facts on Wax: Are Vegetable and Fruit Waxes Kosher?; Rabbi Dovid Heber
• David J. Marks: Shellac and Wax Finish