Abstract

The increase demand of shea butter and its product globally has contributed immensely in its traditional household and small-scale production in countries where it is present. This production method is laborious, time consuming and tedious. Also, the shea butter obtained is of low grade and quality as result of contamination from either the type of equipment used, or the processing method adopted. In other to address all these shortcomings a small-scale mechanized shea butter production plant was developed. The plant is made up of the following machines; sheller, crusher, steam roaster, miller and mixer. The development of this plant has mechanized the major unit operations of shea butter production. It has made easier and faster processing of shea butter and thus, serves as a training center for local processors and a catalyst for the development of shea butter industry in Nigeria. It can bring improvement in the productivity of the shea butter to meet up with local and international demands. The developed plant produced 0.45kg of shea butter from 1kg of shea nut and processed 12.5kg of shea paste in 10min. It has input and throughput capacities of 600kg of shea nut and 270kg of shea butter respectively, in 8hours operational time per day. The total cost of establishment of the plant is $2650.

Keywords: Crushing; Milling; Mixing; Shea butter; Shelling; Plant; Roasting