ABSTRACT
Shea butter is a vegetable fat extracted from the seeds ofshea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa), a perennial plant that is indigenous to Africa. It is an edible fat used in cooking and as a cocoa butter equivalent (CBE) and cocoa butter improver (CBI) in the manufacture of chocolate. It is also used in cosmetic formulations and in African traditional medicine for the treatment of various illnesses. Due to its versatile uses, there is a growing concern that it may contain some hydrocarbons and heavy metals at levels that are detrimental to human health. In this study, the total hydrocarbon content (THC), heavy metal content, and fatty acid content of shea butter were determined using suitable methods. The shea seeds were oven dried at 37℃ and the butter was extracted using a heat-press oil extraction machine. The total hydrocarbon content was determined using gravimetric method. Furthermore, nitric-perchloric acid digestion-based atomic absorption spectrometry was used to determine the heavy metal content, while the fatty acid content was determined using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results showed the presence of hydrocarbons with a collective total concentration of 0.275μg/mL. The following heavy metals: Fe, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cu, Co, and Cr were detectedat concentrations of 0.885±0.075mg/L, 3.455±0.165mg/L, 0.02±0.01 mg/L, 0.13±0.01 mg/L,0.285±0.015mg/L, 0.145±0.015mg/L and 0.075±0.005mg/L respectively, which are within FAO/WHO permissible limits.The GC-MS results showed fatty acids with peak retention time and mass matching those of9-Octadecenoic acid (Oleic acid), 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (linoleic), 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid (Phthalic acid), and trans-2-Hexanoic acid, among others. Most of the matched fatty acids are unsaturated. The study therefore shows that, shea butter is safe for general applications considering its levels of unsaturated fatty acids and the negligible levels of hydrocarbons and heavy metals.
