Quality of wax
The quality of the wax depends on the raw materials, method and processing conditions of processing. Its physical state depends on the presence of impurities, temperature, storage conditions. When processing raw materials, especially of poor quality, emulsified water, resins, and perga may remain in the wax. These impurities deteriorate the quality of the wax, and some of them form solid alloys (stearin, paraffin, and ceresin, etc.) with wax or abstain mechanically (clay, chalk, gypsum, starch, etc.).
Determine the falsification of wax is not difficult. The acidic and etheric number of mineral waxes is zero, since they do not contain free fatty acids and esters at all. Therefore, if mineral wax is added to beeswax, then its etheric and acid numbers decrease, and when adding stearin and rosin to beeswax, the acid number sharply increases, and the etheric remains almost unchanged.
Bee wax is much heavier than mineral wax, which also makes it possible to show its falsification. He is very resistant against the influences of the external environment, and therefore can remain for thousands of years without change. Only the larvae of wax moths can damage it, but they also do not eat pure wax, but honeycombs and merovas.
To check the quality of the wax, it is melted and left to stand on the water. If it contains sulfur, chalk, gypsum, they settle on the bottom of the dishes, and the starch and flour form a suspension or emulsion. To determine them, a reaction to iodine is used, its solution with starch and flour acquires a blue color. The contents of sulfur are detected by burning a piece of wax: in the presence of sulfur, a sour gas with an unpleasant odor is formed.
Cream wax on the bottom surface should not have dirt. The color of the standard wax is white, light yellow, yellow, light gray or light brown. The smell is pleasant, honey. The surface is smooth, firm, and on the fracture – fine-grained, heterogeneity of color is allowed. Spongy black, burnt or contaminated wax is considered substandard (not varietal).
In perfumery and cosmetics use bleached wax. Bleach it in the sun for 10-50 days after shredding in the form of shavings. To bleach the wax with chemicals, use an alkaline solution of hydrogen peroxide, 0.01% potassium dichromate or sodium in an acidic medium or add 0.6 g of alcohol KOH solution per 1 kg of wax with the next blowing carbon dioxide.
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