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Fruit waxing
Process of covering fresh fruit with wax / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fruit waxing is the process of covering fruits (and, in some cases, vegetables) with artificial waxing material. Natural wax is removed first, usually by washing, followed by a coating of a biological or petroleum derived wax. Potentially allergenic proteins (peanut, soy, dairy, wheat) may be combined with shellac.[1]
![Person shaving synthetic wax from a red apple with a knife.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/Waxed_apple.jpg/640px-Waxed_apple.jpg)
The primary reasons for waxing are to prevent water loss (after the removal in washing of the natural waxes in fruits that have them, particularly citrus but also, for example, apples[2]) and thus slow shrinkage and spoilage, and to improve appearance.[3] Dyes may be added to further enhance appearance,[4] and sometimes fungicides.[5] Fruits were waxed to cause fermentation as early as the 12th or the 13th century; commercial producers began waxing citrus to extend shelf life in the 1920s and 1930s. Aesthetics (consumer preference for shiny fruit) has since become the main reason.[2][5] In addition to fruit, some vegetables can usefully be waxed, such as cassava.[6] A distinction may be made between storage wax, pack-out wax (for immediate sale), and high-shine wax (for optimum attractiveness).[7]