Resinous glaze is an

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

-based solution of various types of food-grade

shellac Shellac () is a resin secreted by the female Kerria lacca, lac bug on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. Chemically, it is mainly composed of aleuritic acid, jalaric acid, shellolic acid, and other natural waxes. It is processed and s ...

. The shellac is derived from the raw material

sticklac Lac may refer to: Places Africa * Lac Region, a district in Chad * Lac Prefecture, a district in Chad America * Rivière du Lac, a tributary of the Montmorency River, in Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, Canada Europe * Laç, a city in Albania * Lac ...

, which is a resin scraped from the branches of trees left from when the small insect, ''

Kerria lacca ''Kerria lacca'' is a species of insect in the family Kerriidae, the lac insects. These are in the superfamily scale insect, Coccoidea, the scale insects. This species is perhaps the most commercially important lac insect, being a main source of ...

'' (also known as ''Laccifer lacca''), creates a hard, waterproof cocoon. When used in food and

confections Confectionery is the art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two broad and somewh ...

, it is also known as confectioner's glaze, pure food glaze, natural glaze, or confectioner's resin. When used on medicines, it is sometimes called pharmaceutical glaze. Pharmaceutical glaze may contain 20–51% shellac in solution in

ethyl alcohol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the pseudoelement symbol ...

(grain alcohol) that has not been denatured (

denatured alcohol Denatured alcohol, also known as methylated spirits, metho, or meths in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, and as Rectified spirit, denatured rectified spirit, is ethanol that has additives to make it poisonou ...

is poisonous), waxes, and titanium dioxide as an opacifying agent. Confectioner’s glaze used for candy contains roughly 35% shellac, while the remaining components are

volatile organic compound Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature. They are common and exist in a variety of settings and products, not limited to Indoor mold, house mold, Upholstery, upholstered furnitur ...

s that evaporate after the glaze is applied. Pharmaceutical glaze is used by the drug and

nutritional supplement A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources, or that are synthetic ( ...

industry as a coating material for tablets and capsules. It serves to improve the product's appearance, extend

shelf life Shelf life is the length of time that a commodity may be stored without becoming unfit for use, consumption, or sale. In other words, it might refer to whether a commodity should no longer be on a pantry shelf (unfit for use), or no longer on a s ...

and protect it from moisture, as well as provide a solid finishing film for pre-print coatings. It also serves to mask unpleasant odors and aid in the swallowing of the tablet. The shellac coating is insoluble in stomach acid and may make the tablet difficult for the body to break down or assimilate. For this reason, it can also be used as an ingredient in time-released, sustained or delayed-action pills. The product is listed on the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

's (FDA) inactive ingredient list. Shellac is labeled as GRAS (

generally recognized as safe Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) is a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designation that a chemical or substance added to food is considered safe by experts under the conditions of its intended use. An ingredient with a GRAS d ...

) by the US FDA and is used as glaze for several types of foods, including some fruit, coffee beans, chewing gum, and candy. Examples of candies containing shellac include

candy corn Candy corn is a small, pyramid-shaped candy, typically divided into three sections of different colors, with a waxy texture and a flavor based on honey, sugar, butter, and vanilla. It is a staple candy of the fall season and Halloween in North ...

, Hershey's

Whoppers Whopper are malted milk balls with an artificial flavored "chocolatey coating" produced by The Hershey Company. The candy is a round ball about . History In 1939, the Overland Candy Company introduced the predecessor to Whoppers, a malted ...

and

Milk Duds Milk Duds are a brand of candies made with chocolate, created in 1928 by Hoffman and Company of Chicago and now produced and marketed by The Hershey Company, under license from owners of the brand, Highlander Partners, a Dallas-based global priva ...

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. ( ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It has been the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since 20 ...

Raisinets Chocolate-covered raisins are a candy consisting of individual raisins coated in a shell of milk, dark or white chocolate. Varieties and brands In the United States, they are also known as Raisinets, which is the earliest and one of the mos ...

and

Goobers Chocolate-coated (or chocolate-covered) peanuts are a popular bulk vending product. They consist of peanuts coated in a shell of chocolate. They have a reputation in many countries of being an item associated with the concession counter at place ...

Tootsie Roll Industries Tootsie Roll Industries () is an American manufacturer of confectionery based in Chicago, Illinois. Its best-known products include the namesake Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops. Tootsie Roll Industries currently markets its brands internationall ...

Junior Mints Junior Mints are a candy brand consisting of small rounds of mint filling inside a semi-sweet chocolate coating, with a dimple on one side. The mints are produced by Tootsie Roll Industries, and packaged in varying amounts from the so-called ' ...

and Sugar Babies,

Jelly Belly Jelly Belly Candy Company, formerly known as Herman Goelitz Candy Company and Goelitz Confectionery Company, is an American company that manufactures Jelly Belly jelly beans and other candy. The company is based in Fairfield, California, with ...

's jelly beans and Mint Cremes,

Russell Stover Russell William Stover (May 6, 1888 – May 11, 1954) was an American chemist and entrepreneur, and co-founder, with his wife Clara, of Russell Stover Candies. Early life In 1911, Stover married Clara Mae Lewis, whom he had met at the ...

's jelly beans, and several candies by

Godiva Chocolatier Godiva Chocolatier (; ) is a multinational chocolate maker owned by Turkish conglomerate Yıldız Holding. Founded in Belgium in 1926, it was purchased in 1974 by American food manufacturer Campbell Soup Company, who owned and operated the com ...

and Gertrude Hawk.

M&M's M&M's are color-varied sugar-coated dragée chocolate confectionery by the Mars Wrigley Confectionery division of Mars Inc.. The candy consists of a candy shell surrounding a filling which determines the specific type of M&M's. Each piece has ...

do not contain shellac. A competing non-animal-based product is

zein Zein ( ) is a class of prolamine protein found in maize. It is usually manufactured as a powder from corn gluten meal. Zein is one of the best understood plant proteins.Momany, Frank A.; Sessa, David J.; Lawton, John C.; Selling, Gordon W.; Ha ...

, a corn protein. It is preferred by some

vegans Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a vega ...

because shellac production can kill many insects.

References

{{reflist Pharmacy Food additives