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  • Is shea butter oil industrialized?
  • The industrialization of oil seeds is fast becoming an important agro-industrial activity worldwide. This study presents the results of extraction, refining and characterization of both crude and refined Nigerian shea butter oil.
  • How is shea butter fractionated?
  • Once refined, shea butter can be fractionated into two parts: a creamy fat known as shea stearin and a liquid oil called shea olein—otherwise known as shea oil. Fractionation separates these two unique components using either a chemical reagent or physical methods like centrifugation.
  • Does shea butter need solvent extraction?
  • For these reasons, solvent extraction is generally not preferred for shea butter extraction—especially in food and cosmetic markets where consumers seek natural, organic ingredients. What is shea oil? Traditional water extraction, mechanical expeller pressing, and solvent extraction yield shea butter.
  • How much oil is left behind in a Shea?
  • This inefficient, inexpensive extraction method leaves about 23% of the fat behind, only yielding about 35% of the oil. 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.
  • 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.
  • What is the grade of shea butter oil?
  • The grading of the oil based on the west African standard classified the crude and refined shea butter oils as 3 rd and 2 nd grade respectively, thus establishing their potential for the needs of food industry for manufacturing confectionary, chocolate, edible oil, and a basis for margarines.