Lac is a natural resin secreted by lac insects for protection. It is biodegradable, non-toxic, and odorless. Lac insects suck the sap of trees and secrete lac resin to cover their bodies. There are different types of lac depending on when it is harvested from the lac-bearing twigs - ari lac is immature lac harvested before larval emergence while phunki lac is harvested after. Stick lac, seed lac, shellac, button lac, garnet lac, bleached lac, dewaxed lac, lac wax, and lac dye are various byproducts derived from lac through processing.

2. Lac is a natural, biodegradable, non-toxic, odourless, tasteless, hard resin.
Lac is the only resin from animal origin
Lac is a resinous exudation from the body of female scale insect.
Lac insect is a minute crawling scale insect that inserts its suctorial proboscis into plant
tissue, sucks juices, grows and secretes resinous lac from the body.
Its body ultimately gets covered with lac in the so-called ‘CELL’.
Lac is secreted by insects for protection from predators.
Mahabharata - Gauravas built – Lac house

4. o Shellac
o Seed lac
o Lac Dye
o Lac Wax
o Lac Resin
o Lac Protein
o Button lac

6. Different byproducts of LAC
• Iflac cropsare harvested
bycuttingdownthelac-
bearing twigsalittle before
thelarval emergence, that
lac is known asari lac
(immature lac).
ARI LAC
• Iflac cropsare harvested
bycuttingdownthelac
bearing twigsafter the
larval emergence isover,
thatiscalled phunki lac
(emptylac).
Phunki
lac
• The lac encrustations is
separated byknife or
broken off withfingerfrom
thetwigofhostplants and
isknown issticklac or
crude lac orrawlac.
Stick lac
• The sticklac, aftergrinding
andwashing iscalled seed
lac or chowri.
SeedLac

7. Shellac
• Themanufactured
productpreparedfrom
sticklacafterwashing
andmelting,whichtakes
theformofyellow
colouredflakes,iscalled
shellac.
• Itisnon-toxic,hard,
amorphous,brittle and
alsoedible
Buttonlac
• Aftermeltingprocess,lac
isdroppedonazincsheet
andallowedtospreadout
intorounddiscsofabout
3”diameterand1/4”
thicknessiscalledbutton
lac.
Garnetlac
• Itisprepared from
inferiorseedlacor kiriby
thesolventextraction
process.
• Itisdark incolourand
comparativelyfreefrom
wax.
Bleachedlac
• Itisprepared by
dissolvingshellacorseed
lacinSodiumcarbonate
solution,bleachingthe
solutionwithsodium
hypochloriteand
precipitatingtheresin
withsulphuricacid.

8. • Lacfromwhichwaxhas
beenremovedisknownas
dewaxedlac.
• Itcansafelybeusedin
cosmeticshairsprays,
shampoo,perfumes,
• lipsticks,nailpolish,
eyeliners,etc.
Dewaxed lac
• Lacwaxisamixtureof
higheralcohols,acidsand
theiresters.Itcanbeused
inpreparation ofpolishes
tobeappliedonshoes,
floor,automobiles,etc
• Itcanbeusedin
preparation ofpolishesto
beappliedonshoes,floor,
automobiles, etc
Lac Wax
Lacdyeistraditionallyused
tocolourwool,silk,foodand
beverages.Beingeco-
friendlyinnature,itis
nowadays usedasa
colouringmaterial.
Lac Dye
• Itisanestercomplex
oflongchainhydroxy
fattyacidsand
sesquiterpenicacid.
Lac resin

10. Done by,
Kaaviya AV