Abstract
The processing methods, kernel storage and phytosanitory conditions are some of the major challenges leading to production of low quality shea butter. The effect of processing germinated shea kernels on the overall quality of processed butter was examined. Shea fruits were picked under different shea trees, pooled, and divided into two portions: one portion was processed immediately; the other was germinated for 9 days. The butter expressed from the respective portions was analyzed using standard methods. The yield of the extracted butter from the germinated and ungerminated kernel was 52 and 49%, respectively. The physicochemical properties of butter from the ungerminated and germinated nuts were free fatty acid (FFA) (0.22 and 1.66%), saponification value (SV), (223 and 239 mg KOH/g), unsaponifiable matter (7.77 and 9.39%), iodine value (Wijs) (IV) (33 and 30), and peroxide value (PV) (0.10 and 8.14 meq/kg), respectively. Germination process depleted the lipid content of shea kernel, and elevated the FFA by 7-folds, the PV by 81, while IV decreased. Again, germination mobilized linoleic acid more than the other constituent fatty acids, and the elemental composition remained generally unaffected. Prompt sterilization and sorting out the germinated kernels are necessary steps to improving the quality of shea butter. Key words: Germinated shea kernel, butter quality, desaturation, fatty acids, elemental analysis.
Highlights
Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) is one of the most important sources of vegetable oil in rural areas of the savanna zone of West Africa (Nikiema and Umali, 2007)
The picked shea fruits were immediately transported in black polythene bags to Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) Shea Tree Substation, Bida and divided into 2 portions
Rows with different alphabets are significantly different while rows with the same alphabet are not significantly different there was no significant difference between the ash content of the germinated and ungerminated shea kernels.The finding in this study, in relation to the depletion of butter in the germinated kernel, suggests that butter is mobilized, and consumed during the germination process
Summary
Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) is one of the most important sources of vegetable oil in rural areas of the savanna zone of West Africa (Nikiema and Umali, 2007). Nigeria is the leading producer of seeds: 355,000 t in 1999, 58% of the African production, but 10,000 t lower than in 1996. Nigeria is correspondingly not the leading exporter of shea butter. Shea tree stores fat in the kernel of its seed. The approximate chemical composition of the kernel per 100 g dry matter, which varies considerably across the shea distribution region of West Africa (Okullo et al, 2010) is fat 31 to 62 g, protein 7 to 9 g, carbohydrate 31 to 38 g, unsaponifiable matter 2.5 to 12 g (Nikiema and Umali, 2007).
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