Bayberry wax

Bayberry wax is an aromatic green vegetable wax. It is removed from the surface of the fruit of the bayberry (wax-myrtle) shrub (ex. Myrica cerifera) by boiling the fruits in water and skimming the wax from the surface of the water.[1] Unlike other plant waxes, it is made up primarily of esters of lauric, myristic, and palmitic acid.[2]

## Contents

* 1 Uses
* 2 Research
* 3 Properties
* 4 References

## Uses

Bayberry wax is used primarily in the manufacture of scented candles[3] and other products where its distinctive resinous fragrance is desirable.

## Research

The fats that comprise bayberry wax are not produced and stored inside the fruit cells like they are in seeds; instead, the plant uses an unusual assembly line that starts with a basic fat building block and finishes putting the final fats together on the fruit’s surface, much like how plants make their protective skin.[4] This explains the massive wax buildup, which helps attract birds to spread the seeds, and gives scientists a potential new way to engineer plants that can produce useful oils on leaves or fruits without clogging up the cells inside.[4]

## Properties

* Melting point = 39–49 °C (102–120 °F)[5]
* Acid value = 3.5[6]
* Saponification value = 205–217[6]
* Iodine number = 1.9–3.9[5]

## References

1. ↑ "How to Make Myrica cerifera, Wax Myrtle or Southern Bayberry Candles". FG Garden Blog. December 23, 2010. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160807115739/http://www.floridagardener.com/DNN/FGGardenBlog/tabid/59/EntryID/84/Default.aspx. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
2. ↑ "Bayberry (Myrica cerifera)". Sigma-Aldrich. http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/life-science/nutrition-research/learning-center/plant-profiler/myrica-cerifera.html. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
3. ↑ "Bayberry". Encyclopedia.com. http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/bayberry.aspx. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Simpson, Jeffrey P.; Ohlrogge, John B. (2016). "A Novel Pathway for Triacylglycerol Biosynthesis is Responsible for the Accumulation of Massive Quantities of Glycerolipids in the Surface Wax of Bayberry ( Myrica pensylvanica ) Fruit". The Plant Cell 28 (1): 248–264. doi:10.1105/tpc.15.00900. PMID 26744217. Bibcode: 2016PlanC..28..248S.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 NIIR Board of Consultants & Engineers (2011). "Vegetable waxes". The Complete Technology Book on Wax and Polishes (Reprint). ASIA PACIFIC BUSINESS PRESS Inc.. pp. 32. ISBN 9788178330129. https://books.google.com/books?id=feYkAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA24.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Wax info". cameo.mfa.org. http://cameo.mfa.org/images/2/29/Download_file_10.pdf. Retrieved July 8, 2016.

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