I'm not talking about in the context of wood but in the application of food!
In food shellac is a glazing agent on pills and sweets and is known as a glazing agent. Shellac is generally recognized as safe (GRAS status) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), allowing its use as a glaze in pills and fruits.
Shellac is a resin purified from the secretions of the insect Laccifer lacca. It is a mixture of polar and nonpolar components consisting of polyhydroxy polycarboxylic esters, acids, and alkanes.
How is produced?
Sellac is secreted to form cells around the body's around Laccifer lacca allowing them to adhere the host-tree branches. Males insects are moved out from their cells, while females still live in them. The male insect fertilizes the female about 8 week then dies within a few days. Now fertilized the females secrete large around shellac.
References
Yuan, Y., He, N., Xue, Q., Guo, Q., Dong, L., Haruna, M. H., Zhang, X., Li, B., & Li, L. (2021). Shellac: A promising natural polymer in the food industry. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 109, 139-153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2021.01.031