Modeling and optimization of two-step shea butter oil biodiesel synthesis using snail shell as a heterogeneous base catalyst

Shea butter oil (SBO) is underutilized in the biodiesel production industry in Nigeria because of its high free fatty acid (FFA) which reduces its biodiesel yield. This research aimed at...

An Ethnographic Study on Indigenous Shea Butter Extraction and the Use of the By-Products

Indigenous knowledge practices are locally based systems of knowledge, uniquely associated with a group of people in a cultural setting. These practices, which have evolved over time generally, denote a broad and collective consciousness of the people, including their nature, habitats and interpersonal relationships. Indeed, this knowledge concept sustains the lives of the people. They depend on it to navigate as well as assail their everyday experiences, including in particular those that serve as serious threats to their livelihood. The processes involved in Shea butter extraction exemplify a shared body of indigenous knowledge system noted with the people of Northern Ghana. Unfortunately, many people are oblivious of the existence of such Shea butter industry. Consequently, there is no way they can have knowledge of the by-products that emerge from the industry let alone appreciate their uses. This study aimed to address the prevailing ignorance and especially fill the extant knowledge gap concerning the by products of local Shea butter extraction and their indigenous uses. An ethnographic method was adopted whereby 5 women, engaged in the production of Shea-butter, were purposively sampled. Data emerged from 2 primary sources, namely participatory observation and interview. Cross-cutting issues were delineated from the captured data. These were transcribed, documented and content analysed along the cross-cutting issues. The findings revealed the processes involved in Shea butter extraction as parboiling, drying, grating, frying, pounding, milling and stirring. Besides, the by-products of the extraction process were identified as ‘kabala’, used for plastering walls and floor making, and then ‘kaamuni’, employed in the generation of heat, lighting and fire making. Scientific concepts suggested to account for the manner the by-products are used included cohesion, adhesion, friction and bonding. It was concluded that further research needed to be conducted to explain and confirm these suggested scientific concepts. Keywords: Indigenous knowledge, shea butter, shea nuts.

The Current State of Knowledge of Shea Butter Tree (Vitellaria paradoxa C.F.Gaertner.) for Nutritional Value and Tree Improvement in West and Central Africa

Vitellaria paradoxa (C.F.Gaertn.) is a multi-purpose tree species distributed in a narrow band across sub-Saharan Africa. The species is integrated into cropping and agroforestry systems as a nutritional and economic resource, which provides a range of environmental services. Integration of the species into land-use systems provides an essential source of livelihoods and income for local populations. The economic potential of the shea butter tree derives from its edible products, which also serve cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. To understand the current state of knowledge about V. paradoxa, this paper summarizes information about the ecology, population structure, and genetic diversity of the species, also considering compositional variation in the pulp and kernels, management practices, and efforts towards its domestication. Despite the great potential of the shea butter tree, there are some gaps in the understanding of the genetics of the species. This review presents up-to-date information related to the species for further domestication and breeding purposes.

Core-sheath Electrospinning of Shea Butter and Cellulose Acetate to Enhance Heat Transfer in Protective Clothing

Protective clothing for health workers requires heat transfer in hot and humid environments. To study the thermal conduction of phase-change materials and protect them from leakage, we selected skin-friendly shea-butter due to its suitable melting temperature, and the electrospinning processibility of biocompatible cellulose acetate. The shea-butter as a phase-change material was encapsulated in electrospun cellulose acetate fibres within a core/sheath structure, which was stabilised by two concentric Taylor cones during coaxial electrospinning. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed a blood-in-tube vessel-like morphology. Next, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analyses confirmed the heat capacity of shea-butter (latent heat of fusion: 42.73 J/g; thermal conductivity: 1.407 W/m∙K). The flow rate of the core was proportional to the heat capacity of the shea-butter/cellulose acetate fibres. This was consistent with the finding that the electrospun fibres of the highest-ratio shea-butter (16.19%) had the highest thermal conductivity (0.421 J/g∙K). The shea-butter:cellulose acetate ratio was approximately 15:80. The efficacy of heat transfer for the core/sheath fibres in human clothing was assessed by measuring skin temperatures at 13 sites in six males aged 25 to 35 under two conditions: wearing a mask and hood with attached cellulose acetate fibres in the presence and absence of shea-butter. The mean difference in skin temperatures (0.5 ℃) between the two conditions was significant. Coaxial electrospinning of shea-butter/cellulose acetate fibres is therefore promising for protective clothing with efficient heat-transfer in the use of a large area.

Potential of shea fruit-based ingredients for the feed industry

Background The cost involved in feeding poultry is very high especially in most developing countries. To this end, the effectiveness of the fruit pulp of Vitellaria paradoxa (shea), an agro-industrial by-product that is discarded in the processing of the nut for shea butter extraction was investigated on twelve poultry birds assigned to three groups A, B and C (control). Dried samples of the fruit pulp were analysed for their nutrients. Results Proximate analysis of the shea fruit pulp revealed a carbohydrate content of 41.14%, crude fibre 26.62%, crude protein 10.34%, ash 9.23%, crude fat 3.55% and 9.13% for moisture. It also contained essential minerals such as Ca (587 mg /100 g dw), Na (138.30 mg /100 g dw), Mg (1358 mg /100 g dw), K (771.5 mg /100 g dw), Fe (29.88 mg/100 g dw), Zn (40.31 mg/100 g dw) and Cu (8.11 mg/100 g dw). Heavy metals such as Cd, Mn, Pb and Cr were below detectable limits. Measured parameters were live body weights and some selected blood chemistry tests. Broilers in groups A and B fed on shea fruit pulp formulated with maize meal showed a significant growth performance in weight (p < 0.05) as compared to group C fed on maize meal only. Selected blood chemistry tests carried out included Ca, Na, K, Albumin, Triglyceride and Chloride. Statistical analysis showed that formulated feed had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on blood chemistry values of broilers, however, there was an insignificant effect (p > 0.05) in the control group, fed on maize meal only. Conclusion The fruit pulp of Vitellaria paradoxa could be considered a good source of macro and micronutrients and could be used as a supplement in poultry feed.

Preparation and characterization of Zinc metal soap from shea butter (Vitellaria paradoxa)

Zinc metal soaps are of great importance in the manufacture of personal care products and other industrial applications. Variations in the soaps and their properties are usually due to the type of oil used in the synthesis. Shea butter (Vitellaria paradoxa), being a valuable industrial raw material, was investigated for the synthesis of zinc metal soap. Locally obtained shea butter was characterized, refined and used to synthesize metal soap of zinc which was characterized. The zinc soap produced exhibited an off-white appearance, pH of 7.8, non-foaming, and no free alkalinity present. The functional groups in the soap were confirmed by FTIR.

Antibiogram Screening of Edible oils Sold in two Geopolitical Zones of Nigeria

Edible oil is of the most important and widely used processed foods. The study was carried out to assess the microbiological quality of edible oil (Shea butter, Coconut oil and Palm Kernel oil) from two geopolitical zones of the country. A total of thirty (30) samples were gotten from four (4) different markets in the two geopolitical zones. Bacteria and Fungi were isolated and identified base on cultural, microscopic, biochemical characteristics and antibiotic sensitivity test were carried out. The total heterotrophic bacteria count (THBC) of the sample ranged from 3.1 x 103 – 3.6 x 104cfu/ml. The total heterotrophic fungi count ranged from 1.0 x 102 – 6.4 x 103cfu/ml. The bacteria isolated and identified were Bacillus sp., Escherichia sp., Pseudomonas sp., Micrococcus sp., Staphyloccus sp., Enterobacterium sp., and Klebsiella sp while the fungi were Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Rhizopus, Fusarium, Candida sp and Penicillium sp. The antibiogram of the Gram positive bacteria showed that all the organisms were sensitive to Erythromycin (100%) while Gram negative organisms were sensitive to Ofloxacin (100%) and Ciprofloxacin (100%). The bacterial load of all the samples fell within the minimum acceptable range according to CODEX standard. It is important that improve aseptic techniques be employed in the production, handling and marketing of edible oil.

Structure, Conduct and Performance Analysis of Sheabutter Marketing in Oyo State, Nigeria

The study investigated the marketing practices, channels of sheabutter distribution and performance using multi stage sampling techniques to select three local government area for the study in Oyo State. The results showed about 91% of the respondents were female, the average age of the respondents was 35.5 years. Most (92.5%) of the respondents were married with average household size of 8 members. Marketing efficiency was 135% which implies that the respondents covered the cost of marketing and made a margin above 100%. Unavailability of sheabutter due to deforestation and credit unavailability were the major constraints faced by sheabutter marketers. Furthermore, Household size (p=0.005), marketing experience and member of organization (p=0.001), source of shea butter (p=0.01) and credit availability (p=0.005) were factors influencing marketing efficiency of the respondents. The study concluded that sheabutter marketing was a profitable enterprise in the study area. The study recommended that there should be proper awareness on the prospect of sheabutter business (either for local use or exportation) among young people; this will be an avenue to alleviate the scourge of unemployment in the country.

Growth of small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises and export market integration by smallholder farmers

Small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) growth and survival constitute opportunities for the smallholders to become integrated into the export market. Smallholders can gain additional incomes from their transactions with SMEs and in turn, poverty problem could be alleviated. This article aims to better understand how export SMEs’ growth and survival strengthens smallholders’ market integration development and livelihood improvement. We collected data from 52 SMEs involved in the cassava and shea butter sectors in Benin. Interviews were organized, based on the need of value market access, with cassava producers in the Center Region, and women collecting and transforming shea nuts into butter in the Center and Northern Regions. When developing the measurement instrument, its validity and trustworthiness are concerned. SPSS was used for descriptive statistics and R was used for Multiple Correspondence Factor Analysis. Results suggest that 96% of SMEs exporting firms perceived exporting as profitable and resources generation tool. 95% of smallholders appreciate SMEs as value added markets for their products. SMEs are institutional context for smallholders exchange experience in value added process, customers’ needs and expectations satisfaction. They earn more profits from their selling when export SMEs grow and survive. Growth and survival are explained by export selling, share of exporting in total selling, satisfaction of Teklehaimanot exporting, manager perception of success and profitability and export profit.