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Bee on Lavender Blossom

Beeswax Wrap

Beeswax wrap is a food wrap material consisting of a coated fabric, most commonly cotton. The fabric used is often printed with colourful and aesthetically pleasing designs, giving beeswax wraps their distinctive look. It is commonly made by infusing cotton with beeswax, rosin and oil. Due to these ingredients the wrap is mouldable, gribble and slightly tacky and can thus be shaped around containers or food products. Beeswax wrap is a reusable and sustainable alternative to cling-wrap and single use plastic.

Beeswax wrap’s main use is food preservation. Because beeswax wrap is breathable it can allow food to stay fresh for longer, potentially reducing food wastage. After each use Beeswax wrap can be washed and air dried. Finally, when the wrap loses its grip, usually after one year, it can be composted.

Uses

Beeswax wrap is used by moulding it around food or a bowl, heating it with one’s hands and then shaping it around the item. The warmth of one’s hands softens the beeswax wrap enough to creates a seal around containers and food products. Common uses of beeswax wrap include packing sandwiches, preserving cheese and avocado and covering bread in the freezer. However, beeswax wraps are not ideal for wrapping all types of food. They should not be used for raw meat, fish or other wet food items such as rock melon. However, these wet foods can be placed in a bowl or container which can then be covered with the beeswax wrap. More alternative uses of beeswax include as a flower vase or as a water cup.

Maintenance

The useable life of beeswax wrap depends on how often it is used, how often it is washed and how it is maintained. Often beeswax wrap can simply be rinsed and air dried after single uses. However, if the wrap requires more thorough cleaning, however, it can be sponged with soapy, cold water, rinsed and hung to air dry. If the wax begins to crack this can be fixed by either laying it on a baking tray in the sun or an oven and by warming it using a hairdryer. This process, commonly referred to as ‘warming’, allows the wax to melt slightly and mold back together, sealing the cracks.

Disposal

As beeswax wrap is made entirely with natural resources, when it has lost its grip and is no longer useful, it can be composted to biodegrade or it can be but to a second purpose and used to make an effective fire starter.

How it is made

Beeswax wrap is made by infusing cotton with resin, food-grade beeswax and an oil, commonly coconut or jojoba. Beeswax is harvested when honey is extracted from beehives. The cappings that are sliced off the hive when honey is harvested becomes beeswax after it has been drained, washed, strained and rendered. For every 100 pounds of honey, approximately 1 or 2 pounds of beeswax are harvested. The wax coating allows the cloth to be both slightly breathable and waterproof.

Non-Commercial

Beeswax wrap can be made non-commercially using sheets of cotton and a mixture of beeswax, resin and oil. Firstly, the cotton is cut into the makers desired shapes and the edges are trimmed. Next, a mixture of beeswax, pine resin, coconut and jojoba oil is melted. Then both sides of the cotton are coated with a thin layer of the melted mixture, ensuring the wax is spread evenly and to the edges of the cotton. The coated cotton is then covered with wax paper and ironed or alternatively, the fabric is placed on a baking tray and placed in an oven, heated at around 200˚F or 93˚C. Finally, once it is clear the wax has melted into the cotton, the fabric is left to air dry.

Commercial

The commercial production of beeswax wraps is not that dissimilar to the non-commercial production, however on a much larger scale. The mass production of beeswax wraps in factories is yet to evolve due to the sustainability centered visions of many beeswax wrap companies, limiting the quantity of product produced. The reason for this being, that is is difficult to develop sustainable mass production methods.

Some companies, however, in order to upscale their production have begun to use machinery that automatically waxes rolls of the cotton fabric. Furthermore, more recently UK innovation and technology-based consulting firm, Cambridge Consultants has partnered with UK based start-up BeeBee Wraps, designing a manufacturing process that enables production to increase by a factor of 30, while maintaining the sustainability values that guide the business.

Environmental impact

Plastic Pollution

As with other single-use non-recyclables, plastic food wrap ends up in landfill, as litter on land or in the oceans. Plastic wrap takes years to decompose and thus leaches the chemicals it contains into the atmosphere and oceans, whilst posing another risk to wildlife, this being that they may get caught up in it or eat it.

As beeswax wraps are a sustainable and reusable alternative to single-use plastics such as zip-lock bags and plastic food wrap, they are thought to have the potential to reduce the environmental impact of this ‘plastic problem’.

Global production and consumption of plastic has continued to rise for the past 50 years. According to the Ellen McArthur Foundation 78 million tons of plastic were produced in 2013, a 4% increase from 2012, and with 40% of this ending up in landfill. More than 8 million tons of plastic end up in the world’s oceans annually. Furthermore, sunlight and the sea’s motions can cause the breaking down of plastic into ‘microplastics’. The presence of these plastics in oceans has detrimental effects on both marine and human life.

However, in recent decades, the trend towards sustainability has led to an increased awareness of the damage single-use plastic and other unsustainable practices may have on the environment. As a result of these changing attitudes, companies have become more aware of their environmental impact, allocating more resources to sustainability, while other companies have emerged that focus on providing sustainable alternatives for plastic.

Food wastage

Beeswax wrap’s main use is food preservation. It can reduce food waste as it is made from breathable materials that enable food to remain fresher for longer. Furthermore, beeswax wrap has the potential to reduce food waste due to its anti-microbial properties that may prevent food spoilage.

Food preservation is a global issue, reflecting the need to inhibit food wastage, food spoilage and reduce the prevalence of food-borne pathogens. Approximately 1.3 billion tons of food per year are wasted, creating both financial losses and causing significant harm to the environment and its natural resources.

History

Beeswax coated wraps originated in the seventh century as the Ancient Egyptians domesticated bee hives, harvesting beeswax and honey. One of their uses for beeswax was to make waxed cloths which they used in food preservation, much like the modern day use of beeswax wraps.

The anti-microbial effects of beeswax wrap

The spoilage of food products caused by microbes concerns many sub-sectors of the food industry. An estimated 25% of the world’s food is lost due to microorganism activity. Such food spoilage results in food wastage as products become unsuitable for consumption, causing large financial losses. Recent technological progression has led to the development of techniques targeted to prevent the activity and growth of food contaminating microbes.

The anti-microbial properties of food wrap containing beeswax are attributed to propolis. Propolis is a resin-like material made by bees from tree buds. It is used by bees to seal cracks and holes in their hives. It is assumed that most of beeswax wrap’s anti-microbial activity comes from the propolis it contains.

Study conducted by Pinto, Pankowski and Nano on “The Anti-Microbial Effect of Food Wrap Containing Beeswax Products”

A 2017 study conducted by Pinto, Pankowski and Nano for the Journal of Microbiology and Food Sciences discovered that beeswax wrap is capable of preventing the activity of microbes that contaminate food by inhibiting the viable cell count of bacteria. This implies that beeswax wrap can constrain the spread of food-borne bacterial pathogens and contribute to the prevention of food spoilage.

Pinto, Pankowski and Nano investigated beeswax wrap’s anti-microbial activity against bacteria, fungus and viruses. The reason for this being, that food borne pathogens are found among these groups.

To detect the anti-bacterial activity of beeswax wrap they incubated it with bacterial cells in a liquid phase. They used Salmonella entertitidis, a gram-negative bacterium and Staphylococcus aureaus. S. enteritidis, a gram-positive bacterium and common cause of stomach infections. Both bacteria were exposed to beeswax wrap and it was found that incubation with beeswax wrap led to decline in the number of both cells and thus bacterial activity.

To detect the anti-yeast activity of beeswax wraps two strains of Saccharomyces cerevsiae were incubated in a liquid phase with the beeswax wrap. A small decrease in cell count was noted, suggesting that beeswax wrap does not reduce yeast-activity.

Finally, to determine the anti-viral capacity of beeswax wrap bacteriophages M13 and P1 were incubated in a liquid phase with the beeswax wrap. Results showed a decrease in the number of active page particles. This decrease, however, was not large enough to conclude that beeswax wrap has the ability to inactivate viral particles.

Ultimately, Pinto, Pankowski and Nano concluded that beeswax wrap has anti-bacterial properties, however it does not have anti-fungal or anti-viral properties.

Criticisms of beeswax wrap

Beeswax wrap has been criticized for its alleged contributions to ‘consumerist environmentalism’. Critics suggests that such a ‘solution’ to the plastic problem relies on individual responsibility, contributing to inequality in environmentalism. The reason for this being, that measuring individuals in terms of responsibility ignores who and what has caused the most environmental damage and who is most vulnerable to future environmental hazards. Bees wax wraps are also criticized for their high prices, when sold commercially, especially when compared to plastics such as cling wrap and snap lock bags. Furthermore, when compared to plastics, beeswax wrap required a lot more maintenance to ensure they remain clean and safe to use and last over a longer period of time. Finally, beeswax wrap is not pliable enough to get a complete seal which, when it comes to keeping food fresh, is an important factor.