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.
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.
How many stearin and olein fractions are there in shea butter?
This product then undergoes fractionation to finally yield two shea butter fractions: one stearin fraction and another olein fraction, each of which has slightly different properties and applications. In recent decades, the shea butter production process has transformed.
Why do Shea nuts need to be boiled?
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. The kernels, too, are either sun-dried or roasted to eliminate any residual moisture.