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What Consumers Need to Know About Shellac Wax Coating onFruits

When you pluck a fruit from a tree and eat it, you consume something that’s 100% fresh and organic. But whenyou buy a fruit or vegetable from the market, the odds are high that it has a wax coating on it.

It may or may not have shellac wax.

But how would you know?

We’ll discuss this in this article?

Why fruits have wax coating?

Being a consumer, it’s your right to know why fruits in the market have wax coating on them. The reason behind itare following:

To enable the fruit retain its moisture.

To prevent bruises from appearing, which is quite common during shipping.

To increase the shelf-life of the fruit.

These are the reasons vegetables in the grocery storescome with wax coating.

Consumers, especially the retail consumers have beenbecoming increasingly health-conscious. If you are one ofthem, ask the grocer what type of wax coating was usedon the outer shell of the fruit that you are buying from him.Don’t buy fruits with petroleum-based waxes, becausethey may contain petroleum dregs or residues of wood,harmful for the body.

The preferable wax types

Fruits in the market are mostly found with the followingthree types of coating:

Carnauba wax

Beeswax

Shellac wax

Carnauba wax is obtained from the carnauba palm tree,beeswax from the beehive and shellac wax from lacbeetle.

Shellac coating

Various industries use shellac; pharmaceutical, electrical,cosmetics, confectionary and food coating are some ofthem.

When shellac coating is applied on fruits like apples andoranges, they look shinier. A glaze glimmers from theirbodies and lures the consumers to buy.

Wonder whether it’s safe to consume fruits with synthetic coating?

Yes, it is safe.

Fruits with shellac coating receive FDA approval, a certification that implies they don’t contain any formidableeffect on human body. But remember, the coating is on the outer shell and it’s not edible. Before you eat the fruit,peel its skin off as there’s no other way to remove the wax. Don't peel impatiently, use a peeler instead of handsso only the thin layer of the skin is taken off, not the pulp portions that contain vitamins and minerals.

How shellac is obtained?

Shellac is actually a resin that originates from the secretion of the female lac bug. The bugs are found in Indiaand Thailand. The raw material that turns into shellac is called sticklac. The material is processed to produceshellac.

Since a synthetic product, shellac has an unpleasant taste to it. But when its coating is applied on a fruit's outerlayer, its percentage stays so low that human tongue fails to detect its presence.

Buy fruits with shellac coating

You can buy fruits with shellac coating. Those fruits may not be organic, but they are safe and healthy. Thecoating doesn’t affect the quality of the fruit and acts as a glazing agent. If you own a grocery store, it’s essentialfor you to keep shellac coated fruits in shelves because they have a prolonged storage life.