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
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 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.
What is shea butter?
Over the past few years, shea butter has quickly emerged as the base of choice for both cosmetic and kitchen applications all over the world. But what exactly is shea butter? It is a vegetable fat or oleaginous material obtained from the kernels of the shea nut tree Vitellaria paradox.
What are the 4 layers of a shea nut?
The fruit is composed of four layers – the epicarp, mesocarp, shell and the kernel. The epicarp together with the mesocarp is called the pulp; the shell and the kernel compose the nut. The kernel is the oil-bearing material that can be obtained by processing the shea nut fruit.
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.