Shea Nuts Drying Machine: A Tool for enhancing Productivity and Shelf life of Shea fruit and the Derivatives

Abstract

Shea butter is a very valuable product extracted from shea nuts and utilized in varied applications in food processing, cosmetics and pharmaceutical fields. The procedure involves in its post-processing from shea nuts ranges drying (or roasting), milling, boiling, extraction to packaging. Shea related products become less appreciated when they contain excess moisture content. Excessive moisture in shea fruit encourages rancidity of the oil and necessitates presence of more moisture in its oil. The traditional methods of achieving moisture reduction process, basically by drying or roasting is often done either by sun-drying or roasting the nuts on metal pans fired with heaps of firewood, requires length of days to achieve. These age-long techniques do not only expose the operators to danger but also promote rancidity of the oil due to increase in the enzyme activities, reduction in the product quality and dwindling in the productivity in the midst of ever-increasing demand. The application of improved methods using suitable machines and equipment would alleviate these challenges.