Abstract

The study was carried out between March, 2012 and January, 2013 at the University for Development Studies, Nyankpala campus, Ghana. The objectives of the study were to characterize farmer shea nut varieties to determine the physical and chemical characteristics of the shea nut butter and determine appropriate shea nut quality for the domestic market. The shea nuts were characterized as T1 (small nuts), T2 (medium nuts), T3 (big nuts) and T4 (very big nuts). These nuts were arranged in a completely randomized design and replicated three times for shea nut butter extraction and assessed for free fatty acid (FFA), moisture content and sensory quality. The study reveals strong correlation between shea nut size and butter quality with bigger shea nuts recording lower FFA and moisture content hence higher butter quality. There were differences in colour and texture of the shea butter extracted from the different shea nut sizes. It is recommended that, further research be carried out at different geographical locations to assess the effect of shea nut size on butter quality.

Key words: Shea kernel, free fatty acid, moisture content, sensory quality.