Shea Butter for Food Manufacturers

What matters to food manufacturers

Neutral flavour and odour: any shea note carries into fillings, spreads and coatings. Only deodorised butter is acceptable in most food briefs. That is why EMI recommends refined N-RBD only — unrefined Grade A is the wrong product for food, on flavour, odour and typically higher free fatty acid and peroxide value.

Low free fatty acid and peroxide value: FFA affects taste and smoke behaviour; PV signals oxidation and shortens shelf life. Both must be low and stated per batch. See free fatty acid and peroxide value. A food manufacturer buys refined shea butter on two numbers and one document: free fatty acid, peroxide value and the allergen statement — everything else follows from those.

Melting profile: shea's stearic/oleic balance gives a melting range that suits coatings and fillings. Consistency lot to lot matters more than chasing a single published degree. See melting point.

Food-safety system and documents, stated honestly: HACCP in progress, NAFDAC registered, allergen and GMO statements on enquiry, contaminants data when a buyer asks and EMI has it. EMI does not claim ISO 22000, FSSC or a Halal certificate.

Regulatory fit: chocolate as a permitted vegetable fat in some markets; general edible fat elsewhere subject to the buyer's national rules. Supply continuity against 40 tonnes per week of finished shea butter and a shelf life long enough for a production plan — remaining life is confirmed on the quote.

Recommended product and specifications

The product is refined N-RBD shea butter. Unrefined butter is not recommended for food. What refining removes is the process note. Batch FFA and peroxide value are on the COA. Cocoa-butter comparison numbers are on shea butter versus cocoa butter.

Shea butter as a cocoa butter equivalent

EU Directive 2000/36/EC permits six vegetable fats — including shea — in chocolate products up to 5 per cent of the finished product, with the labelling statement that the product contains vegetable fats in addition to cocoa butter. Codex Standard CXS 87-1981 also allows up to 5 per cent other vegetable fats. US standards of identity for products labelled chocolate (21 CFR Part 163) do not permit vegetable-fat substitution.

CBE formulations typically use shea stearin, the fractionated high-stearic fraction, blended with other fats. EMI's catalogue is refined N-RBD as whole butter; fractionation is done by the CBE manufacturer. See cocoa butter equivalent.

Parameters to write into your spec:

• Free fatty acid (FFA)
• Peroxide value (PV)
• Moisture and volatiles
• Slip melting point

MOQ, format, lead time and certifications

Minimum order, formats, lead time, Incoterms and payment are confirmed on the quote. Food-contact liners and drum or IBC conversations belong on that offer. Storage practice is in how to store shea butter.

Food documentation

Every batch ships with a Certificate of Analysis — see the format. Specification or TDS, certificate of origin, NAFDAC export paperwork, allergen and GMO statements, and any contaminants data (heavy metals; 3-MCPD and glycidyl esters under EU contaminant limits where a buyer asks) are confirmed on enquiry. Shea is wild-collected; no genetically modified shea exists commercially.

Shea is not listed among the EU's 14 mandatory allergens (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II). US tree-nut labelling has changed over time; confirm the current FDA position for your market rather than copying a supplier sentence. EMI states its food-safety status as it is today — NAFDAC registered, SON approved, HACCP in progress — and puts the batch FFA and peroxide value on every COA.

Why EMI Agro for food manufacturers

One manufacturer controls kernel intake, pressing and N-RBD refining, so FFA and peroxide value are controlled at source. See the raw-material note on free fatty acid.

Honest status beats vague claims. Certificates and dates are on quality as they are issued. Capacity is 40 tonnes per week of finished shea butter. Company facts: about EMI Agro.