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Alkane composition variations between darker and lighter colored comb beeswax

2007; Springer Science+Business Media; Volume: 38; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1051/apido

1297-9678

Dvory Namdar, Ronny Neumann, Yossi Sladezki, Nizar Haddad, Steve Weiner,

Plant Surface Properties and Treatments

Beeswax is composed of fatty acids, odd numbered n-alkanes and wax esters. Focusing on the most stable components of beeswax, namely the n-alkanes, we have found by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of combs from twelve colonies from Israel and Jordan that as beeswax ages and darkens its n-alkane composition changes. The amount of even numbered n-alkanes (C22– C32) is significantly higher in darker colored beeswax as compared to light colored beeswax. We attribute this in part to the accumulation of cuticular residues found in the darker colored comb cells. Cuticular residues are known to contain C23–C32 odd and even numbered n-alkanes.