Quality characteristics and thermal behavior diversity of traditional crude shea (Vitellaria paradoxa Gaertn) butter from Burkina Faso

Abstract The aim of this study was to establish a comparative analysis of the physicochemical and the thermal behavior (solid fat content (SFC) by p-NMR, and by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of shea butter (SB) from Burkina Faso, related to different traditional extraction processes. Thirty-seven samples obtained from different localities were collected from local producers and analyzed for chemical indexes, unsaponifiable matter content (UMC), color, yellow index, fatty acids (FA) profile, and thermal behavior. Results showed that stearic acid and oleic acid were the most important FA but varied from 47.2 ± 0.2 to 51.0 ± 0.1%, respectively. Chemical quality variations among the 37 samples were observed: UMC (3.0 ± 1.0 to 12.0 ± 0.1%), peroxide value (4.6 ± 0.1 to 44.5 ± 0.2 meqO2/kg), iodine value by GC (50.5 to 64.2 g/100g), free fatty acids (1.1 ± 0.1 to 9.7 ± 0.1%). Statistically significant relationships were observed between thermal properties and chemical parameters. The results were subjected to clustering and principal component analysis (PCA). Results showed that a great diversity exists among crude shea butter samples from Burkina Faso which is due to both regional variation and difference in extraction processes. A standardization of the process could help to improve the quality.