resinous glaze | Imamother

greenfire

Mon, Jun 03 2013, 5:00 pm

so what do you know about confectioneries ... many are made with an ingredient called 'resinous glaze'

http://whatisthatingredient.co.....id=45

Quote:

Sticklac branches are collected by locals where they are sent to a plant to remove and purify the sticky substance excreted by the Kerria Lacca beetle. The alcohol is added to the sticky substance, which it is then filtered. The substance is then used to coat candies and pills as a glaze that dries or is cooked on.

because many of these candies and gums have a kosher symbol ...

my take is that we rely on these hechsherim ... so why are some of these things even kosher ... is it like honey ... is it because it changes from one type of thing to another - meaning beetle to beetle juice ...

why is honey kosher ... so many questions so little answers

and so many people just eating regardless -

would you still eat them - why and/or why not ???

cookiejar

Tue, Jun 04 2013, 6:25 am

greenfire wrote:

since when do people rely on heterim to eat bugs ... it's no different than eating the 'kosher gelatin' made with meat by products ... or bishul b'shishim ... it should be a b'dieved rather than a l'chatchila

so why are people giving hechsherim from otherwise reliable mashgichim ... if it's not actually kosher - or shouldn't be - it's mind boggling

It's not "relying on a heter" to eat bugs. It's the fact that if Rabbonim/gedolim who are kashrus experts paskened that it is okay to eat, that makes it KOSHER. And ok to eat. Despite your not "feeling" it. It is emunas chachomim, truly, really believing that the conclusion that was reached by the gedolim whom you trust is correct and is emes. And do you really think that they are so eager to let ppl eat xyz, or someone is paying them off, or they are just plain hungry for better sprinkles, that they were lenient in this case?? Cause I don't! They know halacha, they reached a psak halacha, and if that is the Rav you follow, you truly believe that is the halacha and follow it.

yogabird

Tue, Jun 04 2013, 7:00 am

cookiejar wrote:

greenfire wrote:

Back off a little cookiejar! Kashrus agencies are not "gedolim" and I'll bet you whoever your gedolim are would not go near anything produced by any of these "kosherized" companies. I was the one up there who said I'm sure it's kosher if it has a reliable symbol on it, but that doesn't mean that mashgichim don't rely on heter ontop of heter on top of heter to make things kosher.

I'm assuming the heterim they use in this case have something to do with the fact that the glaze is not made out of an actual bug but rather a secretion or something to do with the fact that the bugs are so crushed up as to be totally unrecognizable.

The first halacha that comes to mind on this matter is the principle "ain mevatlin issur lechatchila" which means that once you know there is an issur involved in the production of this product, your are not allowed to intentionally do something that will make the issur go away in the final product. Case in point: you are not allowed to rely on the heter of eating bugs if they are crushed if you know they are there in the first place and are intentionally crushing them.

That being said, there is an awful lot of considerations, halachic and otherwise, that go into producing a kosher product, and we do rely on the hashgachos that most closely follow the poskim we align ourselves with.

And having said THAT, I still agree with greenfire here that a hechsher doesn't necessarily make a product lechatchila.

amother

Tue, Jun 04 2013, 8:31 am

We don't eat it but I believe if I'm not mistaken that we hold it's a chumra. Not that we think that everyone who does eat it is eating treif.

I don't remember the whole background but it's a machlokes if it's a problem or not. Most kashrus organizations hold that it's not but everyone can do your own research and decide if it's something you want to be careful about. Most likely after you read the details of what it is and what they do with it you'll never want to touch it again (even though I do miss my jelly bellies).

mirisim

Tue, Jun 04 2013, 10:19 am

greenfire wrote:

so what do you know about confectioneries ... many are made with an ingredient called 'resinous glaze'

http://whatisthatingredient.co.....id=45

Quote:

Why is Honey kosher here is the "star k' answer just apply the same to substance excreted by the Kerria Lacca beetle

I. The Kashrus of Honey
A brief entomological review of this remarkable insect is necessary in order to understand the kashrus status of bee derivatives. Bees suck nectar from flowers with their proboscis (mouth). The nectar mixes with saliva and is swallowed into the honey sac, where enzymes from the saliva break down (invert) the nectar into honey. The nectar is never "digested" it is merely transformed into honey by the saliva. Upon the bee's return to the hive, the honey is regurgitated and the water is evaporated, thereby thickening it into honey which is then sealed in the honeycomb. Beekeepers then extract millions of drops of honey from the cavities of the honeycomb by using a machine that applies centrifugal force to the comb.

The Gemara3 explains that honey is kosher since it is not an actual secretion of the bee; the bee functions only as a carrier and facilitator4. Honey is kosher flower nectar, which enters the bee’s honey sac and is transformed into honey. The second opinion in the Gemara permits honey because of a g'zairas hakasuv, a deduction from a pasuk.5 Therefore, the halacha is that honey is kosher despite the fact that it comes from the non-kosher honeybee.6 One may purchase without a kosher certification 100% pure bee honey from Montana, North Dakota, or any state or country.

yogabird

Tue, Jun 04 2013, 10:35 am

mirisim wrote:

greenfire wrote:

so what do you know about confectioneries ... many are made with an ingredient called 'resinous glaze'

http://whatisthatingredient.co.....id=45

Quote:

Honey is the exception to the rule. The gemara writes that it is the only instance where something tahor comes out of something tamei.

As a rule, secretions of animals are kosher only if the animal is kosher. Like milk that has to come from a kosher animal in order to be kosher.