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  • How is shea nut oil made?
  • The process of making Shea Nut Oil is similar to the production process of other fractionated carrier oils. The raw Shea Butter pressed from the Shea nut undergoes a process known as fractionation, which allows its liquid oil (the 'olein') to separate from the heavier components (the 'stearin').
  • What is the mechanical press method of shea butter extraction?
  • The mechanical press method of shea butter extraction has been reported by FAO and CFC (2002) but one of the earliest research on the use of the mechanical press was by Marchand (1988). His research revealed that equipped with a jack that exerts 30 tonnes of force, a shea butter press could crush more than 3 kg of shea kernels within 20 minutes.
  • How is shea butter extracted?
  • About 30–33% of shea butter is extracted from the shea nuts with the mechanical expeller although combination of the mechanical with chemical methods has achieved 98% extraction efficiencies. The chemical extraction processes
  • What is a shea nut kernel?
  • The kernel is the oil-bearing material that can be obtained by processing the shea nut fruit. The fruit primarily undergoes several processes - de-pulping, boiling, drying, deshelling, winnowing and sorting - to obtain the kernel from which the shea butter is extracted. Mechanical processing technology
  • What is the best solvent for shea butter extraction?
  • In a study conducted by Kar et al. (1981), on the best solvent for shea butter extraction, petroleum ether, n–hexane, chloroform, benzene, and water were employed. Hexane extraction gave the highest amount of fat from the kernel.
  • Why are enzyme processes more economical for oil extraction processes?
  • However, the improved quality of the residual meal, reduced fibre content, preserved protein properties of defatted meal, low–peroxide and reduced free fatty acid values are some of the reasons which make enzyme processes more economical for oil extraction processes.