The role of fatty acids in the mechanical properties of beeswax

Buchwald, Robert; Breed, Michael D.; Bjostad, L. B.; Hibbard, Bruce E.; Greenberg, Alan R.

doi:10.1051/apido/2009035

Cited by 47 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Beeswax is naturally secreted by the intra-abdominal glands of bees (Apis mellifera L.). The composition of beeswax is a complex mixture including saturated hydrocarbons, esters and 12-14% free fatty acids [25,26]. The presence of these fatty acids is responsible for the presence of reaction compounds such as carboxylates produced when the waxes come into contact with compounds containing metals.…”

Section: Beeswax From Conservation Treatments and Wax From Natural Immentioning

confidence: 99%

Micro infrared spectroscopy discrimination capability of compounds in complex matrices of thin layers in real sample coatings from artworks

Beltrán

Salvadó

Butí

et al. 2015

Microchemical Journal

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The presence of coating on manufactures either to protect them from the environment, or to give them specific properties -as well as simply to change their aspect -has shown to be a constant practise throughout history. Their characterization is complex not only because of the inherent variability and diversity of the composition, but also due to the small amount of sample material available. A methodology to study those coatings using microFTIR is proposed. In some cases the use of microSR-FTIR which heavily increases spatial resolution particularly appropriate for the analysis of these heterogeneous samples is also proposed. Data processing tools such as distribution maps of specific infrared bands and curve fitting facilitate the interpretation of the spectra and help identifying heavily overlapped spectra. Through the identification of individual bands, it has been possible to discriminate materials and comprehend the interaction processes during aging. Infrared spectra from reference aged materials of known production dates and which are essential in understanding those processes are given. A set of selected case studies including materials of different chemical nature and various historical periods are presented: identification of guanine on an inner coating of a hope chest; determination of a protein glue coating from a gilded Baroque altarpiece; assessment of a beeswax superficial application during an historical restoration of a late 19 th century canvas painting; identification of impurities of shellac wax in a shellac coating on a wood moulding from a medieval altarpiece; aging and reaction compounds in Pinus resin, drying oil and green copper pigment mixtures used as colour coatings on Baroque and modern desks.

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Section: Beeswax From Conservation Treatments and Wax From Natural Immentioning

confidence: 99%

Micro infrared spectroscopy discrimination capability of compounds in complex matrices of thin layers in real sample coatings from artworks

Beltrán

Salvadó

Butí

et al. 2015

Microchemical Journal

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“…A specific lipid-based chemical composition of beeswax plays an important role in a honeybee colony as a source of nest-mate recognition cues and as construction material for honeycomb cells where honey and brood are being capped (Breed et al, 1995;Fröhlich et al, 2000;D'Ettorre et al, 2006;Buchwald et al, 2009). It is, therefore, important that the foundations on which the honeycombs will be built are genuine.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Approach for Routine Analytical Detection of Beeswax Adulteration Using FTIR-ATR Spectroscopy

Svečnjak

Baranović

Vinceković

et al. 2015

Journal of Apicultural Science

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A b s t r a c t Although beeswax adulteration represents one of the main beeswax quality issues, there are still no internationally standardised analytical methods for routine quality control. The objective of this study was to establish an analytical procedure suitable for routine detection of beeswax adulteration using FTIR-ATR spectroscopy. For the purpose of this study, reference IR spectra of virgin beeswax, paraffin, and their mixtures containing different proportions of paraffin (5 -95%), were obtained. Mixtures were used for the establishment of calibration curves. To determine the prediction strength of IR spectral data for the share of paraffin in mixtures, the Partial Least Squares Regression method was used. The same procedure was conducted on beeswax-beef tallow mixtures. The model was validated using comb foundation samples of an unknown chemical background which had been collected from the international market (n = 56). Selected physico-chemical parameters were determined for comparison purposes. Results revealed a strong predictive power (R 2 = 0.999) of IR spectra for the paraffin and beef tallow share in beeswax. The results also revealed that the majority of the analysed samples (89%) were adulterated with paraffin; only 6 out of 56 (11%) samples were identified as virgin beeswax, 28% of the samples exhibited a higher level of paraffin adulteration (>46% of paraffin), while the majority of the analysed samples (50%) were found to be adulterated with 5 -20% of paraffin. These results indicate an urgent need for routine beeswax authenticity control.In this study, we demonstrated that the analytical approach defining the standard curves for particular adulteration levels in beeswax, based on chemometric modelling of specific IR spectral region indicative for adulteration, enables reliable determination of the adulterant proportions in beeswax.

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“…Perhaps most notable in the long sequence of publications on nestmate recognition in honeybees is that researchers have independently verified most of the key findings, such as the role of comb wax in honeybee nestmate recognition (Breed et al 1995c;Breed 1998a, b) re-tested first by Tyus (1998), then by D'Etorre et al (2006), and finally by Couvillon et al (2007). The wax odor is a result of glandular products of the bees incorporated into the comb during its construction (Buchwald et al 2009). Couvillon et al (2009Couvillon et al ( , 2012Couvillon et al ( , 2013a have focused on recognition errors made by guard bees (Fig.…”

Section: Cues In Honeybee Nestmate Recognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nestmate Recognition in Eusocial Insects: The Honeybee as a Model System

Breed

Cook

McCreery

et al. 2015

Social Recognition in Invertebrates

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This review summarizes and evaluates the available information on honeybee nestmate recognition. Nestmate recognition is the ability of members of a colony to discriminate members of their own colony from others, particularly conspecifics, trying to enter the nest. Honeybee nestmate recognition is mediated by chemical cues that bees gain after emergence as adults. The comb wax in the nest is an important intermediary for transfer of cues among bees in the colony, resulting in a relatively uniform recognition profile which is carried by workers in the colony. Alkenes and free fatty acids are the primary chemical cues in the recognition profile. The ability of honeybees to discriminate nestmates from non-nestmates has raised the question of whether recognition mechanisms might exist to support nepotism within colonies. A variety of experimental approaches have failed to generate support for preferential behavior among highly related subgroups of bees in honeybee colonies. Other questions addressed in this review include queen recognition, response thresholds for expression of recognition, and sensory and information gathering aspects of the recognition system of honeybees. Nestmate recognition in honeybees is a valuable model system for the study of social recognition in animals.

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The role of fatty acids in the mechanical properties of beeswax

Cited by 47 publications

References 30 publications

Micro infrared spectroscopy discrimination capability of compounds in complex matrices of thin layers in real sample coatings from artworks

Micro infrared spectroscopy discrimination capability of compounds in complex matrices of thin layers in real sample coatings from artworks

An Approach for Routine Analytical Detection of Beeswax Adulteration Using FTIR-ATR Spectroscopy

Nestmate Recognition in Eusocial Insects: The Honeybee as a Model System

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