Waxing of Fruits and Vegetables

The article describes about waxed fruits, the different types of waxes and its various side effects.

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Author: Necin Lazar

Most fruits and vegetables develop a waxy coating on the epidermis as they mature into plant. Wax develops when the fruit attains2/3 of its growth. However the natural waxy coating does not offer much protection against water loss and high perspiration. Thus to protect the vital elements of fruits and vegetables owing to their growing importance these days a process of waxing evolved.

Waxing is primarily done to:

1. Prevent moisture loss
2. To decrease rate of transpiration
3. To replace natural wax
4. Protect them from bruising during shipping   and other physical damages.
5. Increase shelf life
6. Protects from mold growth
7. Maintain attractiveness
8. To increase freshness
9. To prevent shriveling and weight loss.

Waxing dates back to centuries:

Waxing has been done as an age old preservation method  for fruits since 1900.waxing of the produce is an age old art which was started in the beginning of the 19 th century. Waxing of fruits is done according to some recommendations. Food grade waxes were used to replace some of the natural waxes removed in washing and cleaning operations and this helps in reducing the water content during handling and transportation.

Types of wax used on plants:

Food stuffs often waxed:

FDA  s take on waxing of fruits:

FDA regulates these waxes  and coatings as food additives and categorises them as GRAS (generally recognized as safe) for human consumption. But these have never been subjected to rigorous clinical testings or methods.

However if a consumer wants to avoid wax FDA  regulation have made it possible for them to identify them from the organic ones. These regulations requires the grocer,the producers, packers to provide information about the presence of wax on fruits and vegetables which will be on individual products, packing cartons, or on the counter cards. The information will say:

• Coated with food grade animal based wax to maintain freshness
• Coated with food grade vegetables- petroleum bees wax and or shellac based wax or resin to maintain freshness. If only one of these waxes is applied the label can simply identify the type such as vegetable based.
• “ No wax or resin coating” on fresh fruits and vegetables that do not contain wax.

Safety of waxed fruits and vegetables :

Though wax on fruits and vegetables are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA there are apprehensions about them for human consumption.

• Strict vegetarians who avoid animal products may be concerned over the presence of animal wax on fruits and vegetables
• Wax may trap certain pesticides  making it unfit to eat.
• Harmful bacteria may get trapped between the wax and produce during processing.
• At times wax itself that may may not be of concern but the other compounds often added to it – ethyl alcohol or ethanol for consistency, milk casein (a protein linked to milk allergy) as “film formers” and soaps as flowing agents which are a cause to worry.

Consuming fruits coated with wax:

Waxes are fats.  They are so big that they slide right through digestive tract without bodies absorbing them.  One gallon of wax covers 12,000 pounds of fruit.  So we are really not eating that much wax when we eat that cucumber.  Food toxicologists have tested waxes on fruits and vegetables on rats, but have found no effect on metabolism or cancer risk, even when they are eating 10% of their diet from waxes. http://smallstepstohealth.com/2008/09/wax-on-wax-off-wax-on-fruits-and-vegetables/

How to remove wax:

The only way to remove wax is to peel the skin but this means throwing of all the fibre and other nutrients present in the skin.So to minimise the nutrient losses peel a very this layer so as to remove the wax. Though washing does not remove wax or the bacteria caught in it, it is always recommended to wash the fruits or vegetables under a tap of cool running water before consumption.

References:

http://smallstepstohealth.com/2008/09/wax-on-wax-off-wax-on-fruits-and-vegetables/
(http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=175
(http://www.bestapples.com/facts/facts_waxing.shtml)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/13514892/Preservation-of-Fruits-by-Waxing

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