Assays for physical refining of shea butter

Assays for physical refining of shea butter. The best conditions for the refining of shea butter used-in cosmetic industries are defined. The objective is to obtain a bleached, deodorized fat, with a 3% maximum free acidity and a high amount of unsaponifiable matter having minimal losses with respect to the initial sample. The following variables have been studied: phosphoric acid proportion in degumming, bleaching clays and active carbon percentages in bleaching, and temperature/time in the stage of deodorization. The results demonstrate that good quality shea butter can be obtained by physical refining if the level of free fatty acid in the initial sample is lower than 5%. Otherwise, a neutralization is necessary, which should be partial in order to reduce the loss of unsaponifiable matter.