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Agro IndustriesShea Butter Manufacturer, Nigeria
Glossary

Deodorisation

Also written as: deodorization (US spelling), steam stripping, vacuum steam distillation

Summary

Deodorisation is the final refining stage in which fat is held under high vacuum at high temperature while steam is passed through it, stripping out volatile odour and flavour compounds and residual free fatty acids. It gives refined shea butter its neutral smell.

Because it also strips peroxides and their breakdown products, deodorisation resets peroxide value close to zero — a freshly deodorised butter's peroxide value says nothing about how it was stored before refining. The heat costs some tocopherols and unsaponifiables, which is the trade-off against unrefined butter.

N-RBD

N-RBD stands for neutralised

Neutralisation

Neutralisation is the refining step in which free fatty acids in crude fat react with an a…

Peroxide Value (PV)

Peroxide value (PV) measures the primary oxidation products (peroxides and hydroperoxides)…

Rancidity

Rancidity is the off-odour and off-flavour a fat develops as it degrades

Full explainer: How Shea Butter Is Refined: The N-RBD Process

Neutralisation, bleaching and deodorisation — what each step changes.

Part of the shea butter glossary · Complete guide to shea butter

Last reviewed September 2026 by EMI Agro Industries QC team.