Chemical Composition of Beeswax

Ge Chen; Jingjing Qian; Yang Bei; Zexiu Qi; Danila Cianciosi; Yasmany Armas Diaz; Manuela Cassotta; José M. Álvarez-Suárez; Maurizio Battino; Francesca Giampieri

Resumen:

Beeswax is a complex natural substance consisting of more than 300 components. Currently, beeswax has many applications in cosmetics, medicine, food, and handicrafts because of its natural composition. The main chemical components of beeswax are presented in this chapter, such as esters, hydrocarbons, free acids, and free alcohols. As the largest component in beeswax, the main molecules, monoesters, diesters, and hydroxyesters, and the minor components, triesters and acidic esters, of esters compounds are discussed. In addition, other minor substances in beeswax are also described: aromatic and volatile compounds, a few minerals,v small amounts of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and trace chemical elements such as Ca, Fe, Mn, Zn, and P.