Shellac
E904
E904, shellac, bleached shellac, goma laca, laca blanqueada
What it is
A resin secreted by lac insects and purified for use as a glossy food coating.
Why BOTIA flags it
Shellac is the resin secreted by an insect, and it is used as a glossy coating on fruit, sweets and dragées. It is barely digested, and JECFA found no concern with its use as an external coating. Because of its origin, BOTIA flags it for people choosing vegan, halal or kosher food — the international halal standard BOTIA follows does not allow insects. And on fresh fruit it does not appear on any label.
BOTIA CAN
- Identify E904, shellac or bleached shellac when declared on an ingredient list.
- Explain its insect origin and glazing function and show the Animal, Muslim, Texture and E-number layers.
BOTIA CANNOT
- Determine from an unlabelled piece of fresh fruit whether shellac or another glazing treatment was used.
- Determine the amount, coating thickness or exact shellac grade from the ingredient name alone.