Candelilla wax

Candelilla wax

Candelilla wax is a wax derived from the leaves of the small Candelilla shrub native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, "Euphorbia cerifera" and "Euphorbia antisyphilitica", from the family "Euphorbiaceae". It is yellowish-brown, hard, brittle and opaque to translucent.

Composition

Candelilla wax consists of mainly hydrocarbons (about 50 %, chains with 29–33 carbons), esters of higher molecular weight (20–29 %), free acids (7–9%), and resins (12–14%, mainly triterpenoid esters). It is insoluble in water, but soluble in many organic solvents (acetone, chloroform, benzene).

Manufacture

The wax is obtained by boiling the leaves and stems with diluted sulfuric acid and skimmed from the surface and further processed. Its melting point is 67–79 °C. It is mostly used mixed with other waxes to harden them without raising their melting point.

Uses

As a food additive, candelilla wax has the E number E 902 and is used as a glazing agent. It also finds use in cosmetic industry, as a component of lip balms and lotion bars. One of its major uses was a binder for chewing gums.

Candelilla wax can be used as a substitute for carnauba wax and beeswax. It is also used for making varnish.

See also

* [http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v30je12.htm Candelilla wax (WHO food additives series 30)]


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  • candelilla wax —       hard, yellowish tan to brown wax found as a coating on candelilla shrubs, Euphorbia antisyphilitica or Euphorbia cerifera, which grow wild in northern Mexico and Texas. Candelilla wax resembles carnauba wax but is less hard. Because it… …   Universalium

  • candelilla wax — noun a hard brown wax that occurs as a coating on candelilla shrubs • Hypernyms: ↑wax • Substance Holonyms: ↑candelilla, ↑Euphorbia antisyphilitica, ↑Pedilanthus bracteatus, ↑Pedilanthus pavonis …   Useful english dictionary

  • candelilla wax — noun a yellow brown wax obtained from leaves of several plants of the Euphorbia genus Syn: E902, glazing agent …   Wiktionary

  • candelilla — noun 1. wax coated Mexican shrub related to Euphorbia antisyphilitica • Syn: ↑Pedilanthus bracteatus, ↑Pedilanthus pavonis • Hypernyms: ↑slipper spurge, ↑slipper plant • Substance Meronyms: ↑candelilla wax …   Useful english dictionary

  • Wax — For other uses, see Wax (disambiguation). Cetyl palmitate, a typical wax ester …   Wikipedia

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  • candelilla — /kan dl ee euh/, n. a shrub, Euphorbia antisyphilitica, of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, that is the source of a wax (candelilla wax) having various commercial uses. [1935 40; < AmerSp; Sp: small candle, equiv. to candel(a) CANDLE + illa dim …   Universalium

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