Soy
Wax is a vegetable wax made from the oil of soybeans. After harvesting, the
beans are cleaned, cracked, de-hulled, and rolled into flakes. The oil is then
extracted from the flakes and hydrogenated. The hydrogenation process converts
some of the fatty acids in the oil from unsaturated to saturated. This process
drastically alters the melting point of the oil, making it a solid at room
temperature. The leftover bean husks are commonly used as animal feed. The U.S.
grows the vast majority of the world’s soy beans, primarily in Illinois, Iowa
and Indiana.