Bug Juice on your Birthday Cake? Let's talk about Food Grade Shellac
The US FDA has labeled the food grade shellac as ‘generally recognised as safe’ (GRAS). It is used widely as a glaze on multiple food items like fruits, chewing gum, candy, coffee beans, etc. As the pharmaceutical glaze, the food grade shellac is used as the enteric coating for capsules and tablets by the drug and the nutritional supplement industry. That sounds fine, but the processing behind the product should be understood.
HOW IS IT MADE
Food grade shellac, also known as "confectioner's glaze," is a natural resin obtained from the secretions of the lac bug (Kerria lacca), which primarily lives in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia. Here’s an overview of how it is made and its properties:
Lac is harvested from trees where lac bugs have colonised. The bugs produce a resinous secretion to protect themselves and their larvae. After heating of the cocoon-like secretions until the liquefaction, it’s strained and cooled in thin sheets. Then, it is reconstructed with denatured alcohol. Various types of food-grade shellac arrive from pharmaceutical glaze which is an alcohol-based solution.
The resin is purified further, often by repeated dissolving and precipitating processes. The final product is then dried and ground into a powder or flakes.
For use in food products, shellac may be dissolved in ethanol to create a liquid glaze that can be applied to food items.
The edible food grade shellac is utilised as a glazing agent on sweets and pills in the form of confectioner’s glaze or pharmaceutical glaze. Due to the acidic properties, the shellac-coated tablets are used for time enteric or colonic release. The pharmaceutical glaze contains approximately 20-51% shellac in solution in grain alcohol or ethyl alcohol that has not been denatured. Besides, it also involves titanium dioxide (opacifying agent) and waxes.
The confectioner’s glaze that is used for candy carries approximately 35% shellac. The remaining elements are volatile organic compounds that volatise after the application of the glaze.
WHY IS IT USED
The food grade shellac coating is insoluble in stomach acid. Thus, it can make the tablet or capsule hard for the body to assimilate or break down. So, it may be used as a constituent in sustained, time-released or delayed-action pills.
Food grade shellac is commonly used in:
- Coating on sprinkles, non-parels, sugar balls and cachous used in cake decorating.
- Candy coatings
- Fruit glazes
- Confectionary products
- Some pharmaceutical tablets and capsules
The food label shows the name as follows:
E904
Confectioner’s Resin
Confectioner’s Glaze
Candy Glaze
Resinous Glaze
Natural Glaze
Pure Food Glaze
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