Shea butter

It occurs in 21 countries across the African continent, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Guinea.

[10] Shea butter is composed of five principal fatty acids: palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and arachidic (see Table below).

Ugandan shea butter has consistently high oleic acid content, and is liquid at warm ambient temperatures.

Nuts are gathered from a wide area for local production, so shea butter consistency is determined by the average fatty acid profile of the population.

[12] The authors hypothesized that the overall concentration of phenols in shea kernels is linked to the level of environmental stress that the trees endure.

In some African countries such as Benin, shea butter is used as cooking oil,[13] as a waterproofing wax, for hairdressing, for candle-making, and as an ingredient in medicinal ointments.

It is used by makers of traditional African percussion instruments to increase the durability of wood (such as carved djembe shells), dried calabash gourds, and leather tuning straps.