EFFECT OF SHEA FRUIT SUGAR CONTENT ON SHEA (Vitellaria paradoxa L.) BUTTER QUALITY

Abstract

This study uses the indigenous knowledge of rural women in the shea parkland areas who are engaged in shea nut picking and processing to determine the effect of shea fruit sugar content on shea butter quality. The study was conducted within the shea parkland area in the Zoolanyili community in the Tolon District of Ghana. Shea fruits from different trees were characterized based on the sweetness of the fruit pulp into three taste groups: very sweet fruits (T1), sweet fruits (T2) and tasteless fruits (T3). The sugar content (Glucose, Fructose and sucrose) of the fruit pulp were determined using gas chromatography. Generally, T1 recorded the highest fructose, glucose and sucrose levels followed by T2 and T3 respectively. Shea butter from T1 recorded the lowest mean free fatty acids (FFA) 1.35 % while T3 recorded the highest mean value of 9.76 %. Shea butter from T1 and T2 recorded low FFA values and of higher quality than T3 which recorded high FFA value. FFA of shea butter extracted from T1 and T2 were below 3% (< 3) hence first grade quality shea butter while the FFA of T3 was greater than 8% (˃8) hence third grade shea butter. The correlation matrix revealed inverse relationship between the individual sugars in the shea fruit pulp and butter FFA in the shea nut. Percentage FFA decreased as fructose, glucose and sucrose in the shea fruits increased. There were no significant difference in the moisture content of the nuts obtained from the characterized shea fruits. Keywords: Shea Fruit, Sugar Content, Free Fatty Acids, Moisture Content, Butter Quality