Physicochemical Properties of Beeswax: The Effects of Cooking Methods and Harvesting Positions

Abstract

Beeswax is an important agricultural product in many developing countries and its quality can be affected by various factors of the harvesting and processing. This study compared the extraction yield as well as physicochemical properties of beeswax melted by different methods (solar energy and conventional method) and collected at different positions (surface of honeycomb and the old nest cakes). Obtained results showed that melting method mainly affected the recovery yield of beeswax and did not cause significant changes of chemical properties of products. However, samples collected at the surface of honeycomb seemed to have a higher quality in compared to samples collected from the old nest cakes.

Keywords: beeswax; cooking methods; harvesting; solar energy.