Ingrédient · Additif
Cire d'abeille
Numéro E E901
Aussi appelé : E901, cera d'api bianca e gialla
A natural wax used as a glaze, thickener or carrier - safe at the tiny amounts used in food and cosmetics.
Beeswax (E901) is refined bee-produced wax used to coat sweets, stabilise emulsions, or carry flavours. It's chemically inert, not digested, and passes through the body largely unchanged. EFSA found no safety concern at typical use levels; the main risk is for people with a bee-product allergy.
Affiché en anglais — la traduction arrive.
Why it matters
Beeswax is the wax bees make to build honeycomb. Food makers melt and purify it into 'white and yellow beeswax' and use it as a glazing agent (the shiny coat on candies and some fruit), a thickener, a stabiliser for emulsions like oil-and-vinegar dressings, or a carrier that helps flavour compounds mix into food. It's also common in cosmetics (lip balm, lotion) and candles. Chemically it's a mix of long-chain fatty acids, alcohols and esters - basically inert wax, not a nutrient or a toxin. Most people never need to think about it.
Sources (2)
- 1.EFSA: Beeswax (E 901) as a glazing agent and as carrier for flavours(dx.doi.org)
- 2.Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives, Annex II
