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 countries produce shea nut?
The main shea nut producing countries include Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo and Guinea. The total production capacity of these countries was estimated at 600,000 tons with an average of 350,000 tons exported in 2008
. Accordingly, Ghana is one of the chief producers of this crop worldwide.
What is a shea nut roaster?
This is the machine where the fresh shea nut is roasted ( Fig. 3) using the heat generated from the firewood. It consists of three chambers: the rotary roaster containing the fresh fruits, the basement housing the heating medium i.e., heat from firewood and the insulator to prevents/controls heat loss.
What is the temperature of roasted shea nut?
Ambient temperature was chosen as 30 °C and the datum temperature is 0 °C. Time taken to roast a batch was taken to be 3 h. Specific heat of fresh shea nut = 3.4 kJ/kg°C, the mass of fresh nut entering the dryer = 60 kg, the mass of water evaporated = 9.6 kg, and the mass of roasted shea nut = 50.4 kg.
Can shea nuts replace cocoa?
There is a growing need for the production and processing of shea nuts, Butyrospernum paradoxum, globally as a substitute for cocoa due to their relatively low cost and high nutritive and cosmetic value and this information has guided the food sector to concentrate their study in products of this nature.