What Are the Medical Uses of Chinese Wax?

Edible wax is generally a natural animal and plant secretion. Its efficacy and texture are similar to various waxes used in daily life, but due to the characteristics of its natural products, it is fundamentally different from other chemical products.

Edible wax

classification

Divided into natural wax and artificial wax. Natural waxes such as sucrose wax, artificial wax is a fatty compound synthesized by high fatty alcohols and high fatty acids.

ingredient

Its main ingredients are carbohydrates, fats, organic acids and so on.

Edible wax is produced from organisms, and its main ingredients are carbohydrates, fats, organic acids, etc. Edible wax is used to polish food and keep it fresh.

China allows waxing and fresh-keeping treatment on fruit surfaces.

Edible wax enters the body, and carbohydrates, lipids, and organic acids can be digested and absorbed by the body. Artificial wax enters the body and is not absorbed. Under normal circumstances, people will not ingest a large amount of edible wax at one time, and a small amount will not cause harm to the human body. Excessive consumption will overload the body's detoxification and decompose organs such as the liver, which will affect health.

Five apples scrape out half a catty of wax

"Five apples shaved off half a catty of wax, these traitors!" The citizen Mr. Zhao called the news hotline, claiming that the surface of the apple he bought was covered with a layer of wax, which was bright enough to reflect the figure, and the nails were used to scrape the wax. Shedding. "I used to eat fruit with skin. I must have eaten a lot of waxes. Will it be harmful to my body?"

Pick the best-looking apple and eat it

On the evening of the 3rd, Mr. Zhao picked up a washed apple from the fruit plate while watching TV, but felt wrong when he got it: "I feel a sticky feeling, as if I didn't wash it."

Uneasy, Mr. Zhao rushed into the kitchen again to clean the apples. However, the slimy hand was never washed away by the water. He simply found a knife to scratch the skin of the apple. "Some white powder fell off the peel."

Immediately, Mr. Zhao went online to "Baidu" to understand that the powder scraped from the apple peel might be wax. Recalling that he never peels when he eats apples, Mr. Zhao quickly consulted a friend who was a doctor. The friend said that eating too much wax must be bad for his health.

Fruits are waxed to keep them fresh and protected from insects

On the morning of the 4th, the reporter randomly selected a few different kinds of apples in a large supermarket in the middle of Furong Road, and gently scratched the peel with his nails, and he found the white "wax layer" that Mr. Zhao said. The smoother and brighter those look, the thicker the white overlay on the surface.

Was the waxed apple harmful to the human body? Mr. Wang has been selling fruits in the Mawangdui vegetable market for more than ten years. He said that waxing apples is a means of keeping fresh, with the purpose of extending the shelf life and preventing insects. "The waxed fruit looks very fresh, and the customer has an appetite when they see it, so it sells better." Regarding whether the waxed apples are safe, Mr. Wang said that most apples are edible waxes and eaten directly no problem.

Experts say apples are allowed to be waxed, it is best to peel them before eating

The staff of the Changsha Agriculture Bureau said that the state allows waxing and fresh-keeping treatment on the surface of fruits. The wax used for fruit preservation is generally edible wax made from natural animal and vegetable waxes as film-forming agents. Edible apples that have been treated with waxing and preservation will not affect health.

The staff member also said that, because edible waxes are more expensive, industrial waxes are much cheaper. "We can't exclude individual unscrupulous businesses to save costs by using industrial wax instead of edible wax. Edible industrial wax will have adverse effects on the human body, but this situation is relatively rare."

The staff member also advised the general public that, since edible waxes and industrial waxes are difficult to distinguish with the naked eye, waxed fruits should be washed with salt water before consumption, or simply peeled before consumption.