Shea Tree, Nuts and Butter
by Rico R. Magda teodoricomagda@yahoo.com
The Shea tree or Karite, which means
Tree of Life, grows in the semi-arid
wild and Savannah belt of Africa is
the source of Shea nuts. From these
nuts, come the vegetable solid fat or
butter (stearin) and the liquid oil
(olein) that are used as cooking oil,
margarine, cosmetics, candles,
soaps, and detergent. Shea butter
demand has quadrupled for the past
few months with its main market as a
substitute or as a complement for
cocoa butter in the confectionary and
chocolate industry. Estimates have it
that 95% of Shea butter demand is
accounted for chocolate and confectionery
products while the
remaining 5% is accounted for cosmetics
and pharmaceuticals.
Shea butter is a nut’s fatty extract that
contains ingredients with biological
activity such as
moisturizing and
healing skin disorders. In various
countries, a keen interest from several
industries including cosmetics, food,
applied science, healthcare, has
currently surfaced. Western cosmetics
industry has only recently
discovered the moisturizing and
healing properties though Shea butter
has been a pillar of African pharmacology
for centuries.