title: Detection of adulterated commercial Spanish beeswax.
abstract: The physical and chemical parameters (melting point and saponification number), and the fraction of hydrocarbons, monoesters, acids and alcohols have been determined in 90 samples of Spanish commercial beeswax from Apis mellifera L. The adulteration with paraffins of different melting point, cow tallow, stearic acid, and carnauba wax were determined by HTGC-FID/MS detection, and the research was focussed mainly on paraffins and microcrystallines waxes. In general, the added adulterant can be identified by the presence of non-naturally beeswax components, and by the differences of values of selected components between pure and adulterated beeswax. The detection limits were determined using pure and adulterated beeswax with different amounts of added waxes (5%, 10%, 20% and 30%). Percentages higher than 1-5% of each adulterant can be detected in the mixtures. Paraffin waxes were confirmed in 33 of the 90 samples analysed at concentrations between 5% and 30%.
authors.affiliation: Research and Development Department of Nederland Co., P.O. Box 34, 08890 Viladecans, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: serrjosep@gmail.com.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Serra Bonvehi
authors.affiliation: Apinevada Analytical Laboratory of Bee Products, Barrancos s/n, 18420 Lanjarón, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Orantes Bermejo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods*; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis; D013229:Stearic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D014885:Waxes / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; D013229:Stearic Acids; D014885:Waxes; C038228:beeswax; C031183:stearic acid; C026344:carnauba wax
keywords: Adulteration; Beeswax; Gas chromatography; Microcrystalline wax