tailieunhanh - Economic values of processing Shea nut

This paper presents the content: about Shea butter tree; the economic values of Shea butter; Shea butter manufacturing process. | Economic Values of Processing Shea Nut I. About Shea Butter Tree The shea butter tree Vitellaria paradoxa also known as karité in French is an important nontimber forest product NTFP . The tree is indigenous to Sub-Saharan Africa and belongs to the family Sapotaceae. It grows naturally in the wild in the dry Savannah belt of the West Africa and parts of Eastern and Central Africa. The shea tree usually starts bearing fruit when it is 20 years old. They can take up to 50 years to mature and will continue to bear fruits for up to 200 years. The fruit consists of a pulp that surrounds a nut which has a shell that houses the kernel that is dried and stored for processing into shea butter. The main shea nut producing countries include Burkina Faso Mali Ghana Nigeria Côte d Ivoire Benin Togo and Guinea. The total production capacity of these countries was estimated at 600 000 tons with 350 000 tons exported in 2008. Almost every part of the shea butter tree has its use. The wood is termite resistant and used for building. The pulp is eaten by people and is also an important food source for many organisms including birds and bats. The shell are used as a water-proofing material on the walls of midbuildings. The pulp bark roots and leaves are used in traditional medicines. II. The Economic Values of Shea Butter Shea butter is in high demand on the international market. The global demand is valued at about 10 billion and is projected to be over 30 billion by 2020. Shea butter is rich in Vitamins A E and F. It is used as cooking oil in the cosmetics industry to make skin moisturizers and hair-care products and also as an ingredient in pharmaceutical industries. Shea butter is also used as a substitute for margarine and cocoa butter in the food industries. It is also used in making soap and candles. Shea nut cake SNC the residue that remains after the extraction of shea butter serves as excellent fuel. It is a good ingredient for livestock feed formulation as well as for the