How to dissolve beeswax/carnauba wax to spray

I’m trying to make an edible hydrophobic coating for a tart shell. If anyone knows of a way to lower the viscosity of an edible wax enough to make it sprayable I’d really appreciate it.


I have a paper here that explains that it could be done but it doesn’t state the solvent used


<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7435775/>




In Section 2.2 of the paper cited, the method and solvent are specified:
"...soybean wax suspension was prepared through mixture of 1 g of soybean wax and 50 mL ethanol solution followed by heating at 65º C for 3 min." The superhydrophobic character of the coating described in the paper may not be necessary for the tart shell (see below for examples). Extra care must be observed when following this recipe, for the flash point of ethanol is only 14º C, but this method has the advantage of easy evaporation and safe consumption of the carrier solvent.


[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hFk8L.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hFk8L.jpg)


Edible waxes can be emulsified and dispersed in water and are widely used to coat fruit and vegetables. Spraying an aqueous solution onto a tart shell could be adjusted so as not to overwet the shell, but some experimentation will be necessary. Wax emulsions are commercially available from many sources, such as Hexion (Ref 1) and Lubrizol (Ref 2). More commercial sources are listed in Ref 3.


Or, with a bit of experimentation, a food-grade wax (e.g., carnauba or polyethylene) and a food-grade emulsifier can be emulsified with intense stirring in hot water (to melt the wax), then cooled to stabilize the formulation.


Cooking and baking are specialized branches of chemistry, but you can eat your mistakes.


Ref 1. <https://www.hexion.com/en-US/chemistry/wax-emulsions>


Ref 2. <https://www.lubrizol.com/-/media/Lubrizol/Coatings/Coatings-Literature/Wax-Additives-Product-Guide---22-122162.pdf>


Ref 3. <https://www.thomasnet.com/products/fruit-vegetable-coating-wax-93060200-1.html>


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I never tried rubbing carnauba wax on a tart and brushing it to a glossy shine, but one other idea came to mind: food grade ethyl acetate.


Carnuba wax could be dissolved in ethyl acetate and sprayed on, with a few more minutes in the oven at elevated temperature to evaporate the solvent.


Ethyl acetate is approved for use in foods as a flavor additive and should be safe in low concentrations.


Carnuba wax could also be softened with heat and applied to tarts in a rotating tumbler. This is how it is added to the surface of candies to make them shine.


It should be cautioned that adding excessive amounts of wax may affect the palate feel and texture of the tart. Finding a waterproof wrapping may be better. However, if feeling a bit adventurous, one might consider a chocolate coating as well.


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