Analytical methods for the determination of paraffin n-alkanes and stearin/stearic acid in beeswax

Bees are important pollinators. They are essential for agricultural production and have major influence on the biodiversity of plants. Beeswax is after honey the second most important commercial bee product with a global market size of more than half a billion Euros. Beeswax is secreted in small amounts from special wax glands of young honeybees. Beeswax is used as a food additive, in cosmetics, in pharmaceutical, many other products such as candles, or leather protection creams, as well as in beekeeping for the production of foundations of honeycombs. It is more expensive than other natural waxes, which makes it susceptible to fraud. Adulteration of beeswax might not only have economic consequences; consumer protection and animal health aspects play also a role. Dilution or replacement of beeswax by cheaper products such as paraffin or stearin/stearic acid were reported. In support of the Commission Farm-to-Fork Communication, analytical methods based on attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy and on gas chromatography were developed for the determination of paraffin n-alkanes and of stearin/stearic acid in beeswax.