1. The source of beeswax
It is a fatty waxy solid secreted from wax glands by about two-week-old worker bees in order to build and seal the hive. The wax flakes just secreted are transparent and beautiful, and show a variety of colors due to different bee species and pollen sources. The original wax contains a lot of debris, showing a special smell.
2. The composition of beeswax
Beeswax is a complex organic compound. The main components of beeswax are esters, fatty acids and sugars synthesized from higher fatty acids and monohydric alcohols.
(1) Esters
Fatty acid esters include monoesters and hydroxyesters, with a content of 70% to 75%. Among the monoesters, there are 23% melissyl palmitate, 2% melissyl palmitate, 12% melissyl cerate, and 12% melissyl pyrogallate. Hydroxy esters include 8%~9% hydroxypalmitate wax alcohol ester, 9%~9.5% diester, and 4%~4.5% ester.
(2) Fatty acids
The content of free fatty acids is 10%~15%; saturated fatty acids are 9%~11%, including ceric acid 3.3%~4.4%, wood tar acid 1%~1.5%, melisic acid and montanic acid 2%, folic acid 1.3% ~1.5%, pyrogallic acid 1.5%, etc.
(3) Carbohydrates
The content of sugars is 10%~16%, and the saturated hydrocarbons are the most significant with 15~31 carbon atom chains, of which 25 alkanes are 0.3%, 27 alkanes are 0.3%, 29 alkanes are 1%~2%, and 31 alkanes are 8%~9%. Saturated hydrocarbons are mainly 30 alkanes, accounting for 2.5%.
(4) Other ingredients
Beeswax contains fatty acid cholesterol esters, colorants (mainly 1-3 double hydroxide flavonoids), W-myristones, free fatty alcohols, etc. In addition, beeswax also contains a small amount of water and minerals, and the carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen elements in beeswax ash account for 80%, 13%, and 7%, respectively.
3, the characteristics of beeswax
(1) Good compatibility. It is compatible with almost all natural waxes and natural oils such as other vegetable waxes, mineral waxes, fatty acids, fatty alcohols, glycerides, hydrocarbons, synthetic waxes, etc.
(2) Western beeswax is generally used in various industries, but Oriental beeswax with low acid value has strong adhesion and is a good base material for making special cosmetics such as depilatory agents.
4. Application of beeswax
(1) Utilizing its good adhesion, permeability, emulsification, smoothness and other characteristics, it is widely used in the production of cosmetic products such as cream, lipstick, head oil, eyebrow pencil, eye shadow, lotion and so on.
(2) It is used as an important material and release agent in the food industry due to its good plasticity, release, film-forming, waterproof, moisture-proof, and oxidation-proof deterioration.
(3) Because of its natural moisture resistance, water resistance, emulsification and smoothness, it is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry as the base material of ointment and preparation cream, in the fields of encapsulation of intermediate preparations and slow-release pharmaceutical preparations.
(4) In addition, beeswax is also widely used in tanning industry, oil industry, paper industry, printing industry, electric power industry, electronic industry and candle industry.
