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Shea Butter an African Secret is re-discovered.
INTRODUCTION
Shea Butter is a 5000-year-old technological tradition. Legend has it that early users of this
magnificent oil were Cleopatra, Queen of Sheba, and Queen Amina. It is said that these powerful
women regularly sent caravans deep into the interior prospecting for the source for this amazing oil.
While Shea Butter has been used for thousands of years in other parts of the world, its use in
the USA is relatively new, only several decades. For this reason, despite the rapidly growing
momentum and all the “end user” excitement, few have credible product education, and even
less understand the necessary do’s and don’t ‘s when buying or using shea butter. For those
reasons, most do not understand all the incredible power contained within this unusual product.
I invite you to learn more about Shea Butter as I outline important facts about this unique product.
Today you are about to embark upon a leadership journey in an industry that’s gaining great
momentum. I would like to personally congratulate you and welcome you to the REDISCOVERY
OF SHEA BUTTER.
Thank You,
Dr. Samuel Hunter
What is Shea Butter?
Shea Butter is the oily extract from the seed of the Shea nut. The extract contains a number
of ingredients with biological activity (bioactive nutrients). This biological activity includes
moisturizing and the healing of minor skin ailments. In the USA, Shea Butter has already
attracted the interest of several industries, including but no limited to cosmetics, personal care,
food, healthcare and applied science.
What is the source of Shea Butter?
THE SHEA TREE
This unique tree grows only in Africa. The secret within its fruit has been known for centuries.
The Europeans re-discovered the tree about 200 years ago. Today, the tree may be found
in 19 contiguous countries across Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia. These 19 countries are
also considered the Shea Belt. The African Shea Belt covers a vast area, that expands some
3000 miles across Africa, including the nations of Benin, Ghana, Chad, Burkina Faso, Cameroon,
Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Cote D’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal,
Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Zaire and Guinea. As one travels from Senegal in the west
to Ethiopia in the east, one finds that the variety of the Shea fruit also changes.
Paradoxa is the variety found in West Africa, while Nilotica variety is found in East Africa.
The appearance and the chemical composition of the two varieties are profoundly different.
You may consult the Shea Butter Handbook for more details on these differences.
Geographically, as you travel from the west to the east, you will find the Shea Belt
sandwiched between two of Africa’s geographic landmarks, the Sahara dessert to
its north and the African Rain Forest to its south. The tree grows without human
assistance in the semidry highlands about 600 meters above sea level.
THE FRUIT
Statistically, about 1 in 3 trees will give fruit during each season (Spring-Summer).
Trees bearing fruit will produce a fruit about the size of a plum. When ripened the
fruit is a green-orange or yellowish orange color with very sweet custard content
when eaten. A nut is found in the center of the fruit.
THE NUT/ THE SEED
When the nut is properly removed from the fruit and dried it is a brown oval
structure about the size, shape and color of a pecan. The nut has a shell about
the thickness of a pecan shell. Within the nut is a seed. The seed is removed from
the nut, and Shea Butter is the oily extract of this seed.
Below the larger shiny ones are nuts. The smaller dull ones are seeds. Each nut contains one seed.
Over 1 million tons of Shea nuts are harvested annually. It is estimated that the
annual harvest represents only about one-third of the nuts produced each year.
Only a very small portion of the annual nut harvest is converted to Shea Butter in Africa.
Most of the annual nut harvest is exported to international destinations outside the
African Continent. Much if not all of this nut export is used in the chocolate industry,
to prepare a product for use as a cocoa butter substitute by chocolate manufacturers.
What is the shelf life of Shea Butter?
The question what is the shelf life of shea butter is an inappropriate question?
The question should be, what is the shelf life of a specific or given batch of shea butter.
The shelf life of Shea Butter is dependent on two important variables. 1).
The conditions during its extraction. 2). Its post extraction management. These variables
differ from one preparation to the next, from person to person, from region to region, from
country to country. Because of the variation the shelf life varies from one batch to another.
As a broker or manufacturer you should now understand why it is absurd to use the shelf life
of one batch as the shelf life for another batch. Before mixing shea butter with other products
it is essential to first determine the batch’s shelf life, if it has not been determined previously.
Shelf life for a given batch of unrefined shea butter is so batch specific that, at the American
Shea Butter Institute, we use the batch shelf life as one of four parameters to establish the
ASBI batch fingerprint. The fingerprint allows us to identify a given unrefined shea butter
at a later time even after mixing with other products. When it comes to shea butter shelf life,
it is important for you to know that 60% of the butter arriving from West Africa is already rancid.
While 90% of the shea butter arriving from East Africa is rancid. By the time it reaches the
consumer the rancidity percentage is even higher. This occurs unfortunately because consumers,
retailers, or brokers almost never request a peroxide value before buying. You should also know
that the highest possible quality grade for rancid shea butter is Grade D. To obtain a rush peroxide
value click here
For instructions in optimal post extraction management, see the sheabutter handbook.
Click here
