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ScienceQuiet 9d · day 9

The Atlantic reports candy corn's glossy coating comes from lac bug secretions

A piece by Tove Danovich explains that shellac, used to coat candy corn and other sweets, is made from resin secreted by female lac bugs in India and Thailand.

newest coverage 8d agosummary written 8d ago16 pieces52 likes & upvotes62 comments NewswiresMastodonHacker News

What to know

  • Candy corn and other sweets are coated with shellac, a resin secreted by female lac bugs native to India and Thailand.
  • Producing one pound of finished shellac requires secretions from approximately 100,000 insects.
  • Commenters debated whether this fact is remarkable or merely a natural aspect of using animal-derived ingredients in food, comparing it to honey and milk.
  • Some noted that shellac is used in many candy products beyond candy corn, including jelly beans, gums, and chocolates.
some voices

The shellac revelation is interesting and worthy of attention.

  • “I already really liked candy corn, but this made me like it even more? This is awesome.”

    d0liver · Hacker News ↗
many voices

Using insect secretions in food is unremarkable; many foods contain animal secretions.

  • “Just noting that your honey is made of bug secretions. Just noting that your milk is made of cow secretions. Etc.”

    SAI_Peregrinus · Hacker News ↗
some voices

Questions exist about the economic viability of harvesting shellac at scale.

  • “How is it possible to collect enough of this stuff? Seems like it would not be financially viable product.”

    phkahler · Hacker News ↗

Tove Danovich AuthorThe Atlantic Publication

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlespostscomments

Peak 10 pieces in two hours at Oct 30, 9 AM; 16 pieces over 9 days (4 articles · 2 posts · 10 comments) Oct 30, 7 AM — 4 pieces · 3 articles · 1 post — Newswires 2, Mastodon 2Oct 30, 9 AM — 10 pieces · 1 article · 1 post · 8 comments — Hacker News 9, Newswires 1Oct 30, 11 AM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Hacker News 1Oct 30, 1 PM — quietOct 30, 3 PM — 1 piece · 1 comment — Hacker News 1Oct 30, 5 PM — quietOct 30, 7 PM — quietOct 30, 9 PM — quietOct 30, 11 PM — quietOct 31, 1 AM — quietOct 31, 3 AM — quietOct 31, 5 AM — quietOct 31, 7 AM — quietOct 31, 9 AM — quietOct 31, 11 AM — quietOct 31, 1 PM — quietOct 31, 3 PM — quietOct 31, 5 PM — quietOct 31, 7 PM — quietOct 31, 9 PM — quietOct 31, 11 PM — quietNov 1, 1 AM — quietNov 1, 2 AM — quietNov 1, 4 AM — quietNov 1, 6 AM — quietNov 1, 8 AM — quietNov 1, 10 AM — quietNov 1, 12 PM — quietNov 1, 2 PM — quietNov 1, 4 PM — quietNov 1, 6 PM — quietNov 1, 8 PM — quietNov 1, 10 PM — quietNov 2, 12 AM — quietNov 2, 2 AM — quietNov 2, 4 AM — quietNov 2, 6 AM — quietNov 2, 8 AM — quietNov 2, 10 AM — quietNov 2, 12 PM — quietNov 2, 2 PM — quietNov 2, 4 PM — quietNov 2, 6 PM — quietNov 2, 8 PM — quietNov 2, 10 PM — quietNov 3, 12 AM — quietNov 3, 2 AM — quietNov 3, 4 AM — quietNov 3, 6 AM — quietNov 3, 8 AM — quietNov 3, 10 AM — quietNov 3, 12 PM — quietNov 3, 2 PM — quietNov 3, 4 PM — quietNov 3, 6 PM — quietNov 3, 8 PM — quietNov 3, 10 PM — quietNov 4, 12 AM — quietNov 4, 2 AM — quietNov 4, 4 AM — quietNov 4, 6 AM — quietNov 4, 8 AM — quietNov 4, 10 AM — quietNov 4, 12 PM — quietNov 4, 2 PM — quietNov 4, 4 PM — quietNov 4, 6 PM — quietNov 4, 8 PM — quietNov 4, 10 PM — quietNov 5, 12 AM — quietNov 5, 2 AM — quietNov 5, 4 AM — quietNov 5, 6 AM — quietNov 5, 8 AM — quietNov 5, 10 AM — quietNov 5, 12 PM — quietNov 5, 2 PM — quietNov 5, 4 PM — quietNov 5, 6 PM — quietNov 5, 8 PM — quietNov 5, 10 PM — quietNov 6, 12 AM — quietNov 6, 2 AM — quietNov 6, 4 AM — quietNov 6, 6 AM — quietNov 6, 8 AM — quietNov 6, 10 AM — quietNov 6, 12 PM — quietNov 6, 2 PM — quietNov 6, 4 PM — quietNov 6, 6 PM — quietNov 6, 8 PM — quietNov 6, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quiet 1–3
Oct 31Nov 1Nov 2Nov 3Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6yesterdaynow · 9:03 AM ET
  1. 3

    Hacker News discussion surfaces varied reactions to the shellac revelation

    The article reached Hacker News' frontpage, sparking 53 comments. Commenters debated the significance of insect-derived ingredients, with some noting that many everyday products contain animal secretions, others questioning the economic feasibility of harvesting shellac, and still others expressing newfound appreciation for candy corn.

    “Quite a few candies still use it, including I think jelly beans, gums and chocolates. Candy corn is far from the standout here.”
    — zdragnar, Hacker News commenter · source

    • @TipoftheBanana wrote about this recently on X. Great account on food manufacturing.

      Molitor5901Hacker News8d agoview on Hacker News ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 10 posts in this stretch

    • I have to see Rolex ads when I go direct to the article and they want me to subscribe to see the entire thing. Good luck, The Atlantic, with your paywall.

      waffletowerHacker News8d agoview on Hacker News ↗

    • Candy corn. Farm corn to create HFCS in order to build candy that looks like corn.I do wonder how the USA, historically speaking, came to be the creators of this stuff

      mmscHacker News9d agoview on Hacker News ↗
    all of them →
  2. 2

    Mastodon users share shellac facts from the article

    Users on Mastodon, including AkaSci@fosstodon.org, began sharing details about shellac and its production. The post notes that a pound of finished shellac requires secretions from 100,000 insects and mentions shellac's other uses including wood stains, primers, and wax coatings for fruit.

    “Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. The insects suck the sap of the tree and excrete 'sticklac', which is scraped and processed. A pound of finished shellac requires the secretions of 100,000 insects.”
    — AkaSci@fosstodon.org
    • AkaSci@fosstodon.org

      TIL about shellac, aka confectioner's glaze, used in the coating of Candy Corn and other candy products. Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. The insects suck the sap of the tree and excrete "sticklac", which is scraped and processed. A pound of finished shellac requires the secretions of…

      AkaSci@fosstodon.orgMastodon9d ago8▲view on Mastodon ↗
  3. 1

    The Atlantic publishes piece on candy corn's lac bug coating

    The Atlantic published an article by Tove Danovich titled "Just Noting That Your Candy Corn Is Made of Bug Secretions" explaining that shellac—the glossy coating on candy corn—is made from resin secreted by female lac bugs native to India and Thailand.

    1. 3 outlets Just Noting That Your Candy Corn Is Made of Bug Secretions

      first by HN Frontpage, 9d ago · also The Atlantic Science, The Atlantic

What people are saying 4 voices from 1 site · best of 11 · verbatim

Still unanswered
  • How is shellac harvested economically on such a large scale if it requires secretions from 100,000 insects per pound?