Fruit waxing

Person shaving synthetic wax from a red apple with a knife.
Shaving the synthetic wax from an apple

Fruit waxing is the process of covering fruits (and, in some cases, vegetables) with artificial waxing material. Natural wax is removed first, usually by washing, followed by a coating of a biological or petroleum derived wax. Potentially allergenic proteins (peanut, soy, dairy, wheat) may be combined with shellac.[1]

The primary reasons for waxing are to prevent water loss (after the removal in washing of the natural waxes in fruits that have them, particularly citrus but also, for example, apples[2]) and thus slow shrinkage and spoilage, and to improve appearance.[3] Dyes may be added to further enhance appearance,[4] and sometimes fungicides.[5] Fruits were waxed to cause fermentation as early as the 12th or the 13th century; commercial producers began waxing citrus to extend shelf life in the 1920s and 1930s. Aesthetics (consumer preference for shiny fruit) has since become the main reason.[2][5] In addition to fruit, some vegetables can usefully be waxed, such as cassava.[6] A distinction may be made between storage wax, pack-out wax (for immediate sale), and high-shine wax (for optimum attractiveness).[7]

  1. ^ Baldwin, Elizabeth (2007). "Surface Treatments and Edible Coatings in Food Preservation". Handbook of Food Preservation, Second Edition. pp. 484–6. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.188.4630. ISBN 978-1-57444-606-7.
  2. ^ a b P. E. Kolattukudy, "Natural Waxes on Fruits" Archived 2017-05-20 at the Wayback Machine, Post Harvest Pomology Newsletter 2.2 (1984), repr. Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, Washington State University, March 2003 (pdf)
  3. ^ Leo J. Klotz, Walter Reuther, E. Clair Calavan, Glenn E. Carman, et al., The Citrus Industry Volume 5 Crop Protection, Postharvest Technology, and Early History of Citrus Research in California, ANR publications (University of California, Oakland) 3326, rev. ed. Berkeley: University of California, 1989, p. 182.
  4. ^ Keith Thompson, Fruit and Vegetables: Harvesting, Handling and Storage, [2nd ed. of Postharvest Technology of Fruits and Vegetables] Oxford: Blackwell / Ames, Iowa: Iowa State, 2003, ISBN 9781405106191, p. 287.
  5. ^ a b Frank D. Gunstone and Fred B. Padley, Lipid Technologies and Applications, New York: Dekker, 1997, p. 463.
  6. ^ Thompson, p. 188.
  7. ^ L. R. Verma and V. K. Joshi, Postharvest Technology of Fruits and Vegetables: Handling, Processing, Fermentation, and Waste Management, Volume 1 General Concepts and Principles, New Delhi: Indus, 2000, ISBN 9788173871085, p. 120.