A glazing agent is an additive applied to the outside of a food to give it a shiny surface or a protective coating. It is a function name, so the specific substance usually follows in brackets. On sugar-shelled sweets, the glaze is the final thin layer that makes them gleam, stops them sticking together in the bag and slows moisture moving in or out.
Common glazing agents are carnauba wax (INS 903), from the leaves of a Brazilian palm; beeswax (INS 901); candelilla wax (INS 902), from a desert shrub; and shellac (INS 904), a resin secreted by lac insects. Gum arabic and some edible oils are also used to polish chocolates and dried fruit.
The M&M’s Peanut Chocolate lists carnauba wax (INS 903), which is plant-based. Beeswax and shellac come from insects, so they are not vegan, a detail the function name on its own does not reveal.
