Introduction to Lac and Lac Culture - Birsa Agricultural University

WHAT IS LAC?
Introduction to
Lac and Lac Culture
Lac is a natural, biodegradable, non-toxic, odourless, tasteless, hard resin and non-injurious to health.
Lac is, in fact, a resinous protective secretion of tiny lac insect, Kerria lacca (Kerr.) which belongs
to the family Tachardidae in the super family Coccoidea of the order Hemiptera. The lac insect is
a pest on a number of plants both wild as well as cultivated. The tiny red–coloured larvae of lac
insect settle on the young succulent shoots of the host plants in myriads and secrete a thick resinous
fluid which covers their bodies. The secretion from the insects form a hard continuous encrustation
over the twigs. The encrusted twigs are harvested and the encrusted twigs scraped off, dried and
processed to yield the lac of commerce which is regarded as Non Wood Forest Product (NWFP) of
great economic importance to India.
ARI LAC AND PHUNKI LAC:
If lac crops are harvested by cutting down the lac bearing twigs a little before the larval emergence,
that lac is known as ARI LAC ( immature lac ) or after the emergence is over, that is called PHUNKI LAC
( empty lac ).
LAC AND ITS FORMS
Stick lac : The lac encrustations is separated by knife or broken off with finger from the
twig of host plants and is known is STICK LAC or CRUDE LAC or RAW LAC.
Seed lac : The stick lac, after grinding and washing, is called SEED LAC or CHOWRI.
Shellac : The manufactured product prepared from stick lac after washing and melting,
which takes the form of yellow coloured flakes, is called SHELLAC.
Button lac : After melting process, lac is dropped on a zinc sheet and allowed to spread
out into round discs of about 3” diameter and 1/4” thickness is called BUTTON
LAC
Garnet lac : It is prepared form inferior seed lac or kiri by the solvent extraction process. It is
dark in colour and comparatively free from wax.
Bleached
lac
: It is a refined product obtained by chemical treatment. It is prepared by
dissolving shellac or seed lac in Sodium carbonate solution, bleaching the
solution with Sodium hypochlorite and precipitating the resin with sulphuric
acid. Bleached lac deteriorates quickly and should be used within 2-3 months
of manufacture.
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