Shea tree, Shi tree,Vitellaria paradoxa (formerly Butyrospermum parkii), is a tree of the Sapotaceae family is a traditional African food plant. The shea fruit consists of a thin, tart, nutritious pulp t that has been claimed to have potential to improve nutrition.
The tree starts bearing its first fruit when it is 10 to 15 years old. Fruit production is every three years for up to 200 years.
The fruits take 4 to 6 months to ripen. The average yield is 15 to 20 kilograms of fresh fruit per tree, with optimum yields up to 45 kilograms. Each kilogram of fruit gives approximately 400 grams of dry seeds
Shea butter can be extracted from the relatively large, oil-rich seed and is composed of five principal fatty acids: palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and arachidic. About 85 to 90% of the fatty acid composition is stearic and oleic acids. The relative proportion of these two fatty acids affects shea butter consistency. The stearic acid gives it a solid consistency, while the oleic acid influences how soft or hard the shea butter is, depending on ambient temperature.
