Горіх ши

Shea nuts come from the shea tree, Vitellaria paradoxa, a tree of the family Sapotaceae that is indigenous to Africa. The fruit has a thin, tart, nutritious pulp around a relatively large seed rich in oil. The fruits resemble large plums 4 to 8 centimetres long. The fruit is edible.

Origin and Production

The shea tree grows naturally in the wild in the dry savannah belt of West Africa, from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east. It is a deciduous tree usually 7-15 m tall. The tree starts bearing its first fruit when it is 10 to 15 years old and then produces nuts for up to 200 years. The fruits take 4 to 6 months to ripen. Each kilogram of fruit gives approximately 400 grams of dry seeds. Shea nuts are important in the economy of Burkina Faso.

Chemistry and Uses

Shea butter is a triglyceride fat. About 85 to 90% of its fatty acid composition is stearic and oleic acids. The stearic acid gives it a solid consistency, while the oleic acid influences how soft or hard it is, depending on ambient temperature.

Throughout Africa shea butter is used extensively in food and in medicine, and it is a major source of dietary fat. It is occasionally mixed with other oils as a substitute for cocoa butter, although the taste is noticeably different.