Crude shea butter obtained from the extraction process undergoes many refining steps. The process of how to refine shea butter begins with pretreatment and bleaching, which is followed by deodorisation and deacidification to obtain refined shea butter.
How is shea butter made?
In this article, we’re going to explore how shea butter is made – right from the cultivation of shea nuts to shea butter extraction and how to refine shea butter – so that it can be used to cook food, moisturise skin, and even manufacture chocolate. Where is shea butter made? Native to West Africa, shea trees are the source of shea butter.
How is shea oil extracted?
As a result, many shea producers are adopting more mechanized solutions to improve quality and yield. Larger processors use mechanical extraction equipment to recover more oil efficiently. Screw press expellers physically crush the shea kernels to squeeze out shea oil from the solid meal, which exits the expeller as a cake.
Where are shea nuts produced in Burkina Faso?
The Sissili and Ziro provinces are the most important production centres. Further, shea nuts are the country’s third most important export after cotton and livestock. Since both shea nuts and shea butter are exported in huge quantities from Burkina Faso, their quality is extremely important.
How are shea nuts processed?
Subsequently, the nuts are processed by boiling, roasting, or sun-drying. Boiling in water prevents the shea seeds from germinating and prevents hydrolytic degradation of the extracted shea butter. The boiled shea nuts are sun-dried, and then the dried shea nuts are cracked to obtain the kernels.
Where is the Tanta refinery located in Egypt?
The Tanta refinery near Port Said is operated by the Cairo Petroleum Refining Company. It has a capacity of 35,000 b/d. Other than a small hydrotreating unit it has no upgrading capacity. The Cairo Petroleum Refining Company in Mostorod, near Cairo has a capacity of 145,000b/d. The majority of Egypt’s refined products are sold to local markets.