Free Fatty Acid (FFA) in Shea Butter

What free fatty acid is

A triglyceride is glycerol plus three fatty acids. Hydrolysis — driven by lipase, moisture and heat — splits those bonds and releases free acids. In shea, oleic and stearic dominate, so FFA is reported “as oleic acid”.

FFA is a chemistry result, but for buyers it is a history of the kernel: how long between collection, boiling or drying, and pressing, and how it was stored. FFA measures how much of the fat has already broken down; it does not measure how the butter was processed.

Typical FFA values by grade

EMI Agro does not publish a standing contractual FFA range by grade on this page. Regional grading thresholds below are context only — they are not EMI limits. Ranges exist because shea is a natural product; the Certificate of Analysis states the measured batch value. Read your COA against how to read a shea butter COA.

How FFA is measured (AOCS Ca 5a-40)

The principle is simple: dissolve a weighed sample in hot neutralised ethanol (or ethanol/ether) and titrate with standardised sodium hydroxide to a phenolphthalein endpoint.

FFA % (oleic) = (V × N × 28.2) / W

Acid value (mg KOH/g) ≈ FFA % (oleic) × 1.99. Homogenise a melted, well-mixed sample; avoid overheating; run duplicates; blank the solvent.

Run the numbers yourself with the FFA titration calculator. Method detail: AOCS Ca 5a-40.

Why FFA matters to buyers

High FFA means free acids oxidise and hydrolyse further — rancid odour, shorter shelf life, darker colour, soap “sweating”, formulation instability, and off-taste in food or cocoa-butter equivalent use. Low FFA means fresher kernels, better stability and easier deodorisation for N-RBD.

For unrefined shea butter, FFA is the single best predictor of how the batch will smell and keep six months from now.

• Cosmetics and hair — specify a low-FFA unrefined grade; see Unrefined Grade A.
• Soap — higher FFA is tolerated; check the lye calculator.
• Food and CBE — very low FFA is required; see refined N-RBD.

FFA is a raw-material problem, not a process output

Fermentation of kernels before extraction is the main FFA (and mould) driver: delayed boiling, slow drying, damp storage. Pressing cannot reduce FFA; filtration cannot; “cold-pressed” says nothing about FFA.

Only chemical neutralisation (caustic) or physical (steam) refining removes free acids — which turns the product into refined butter. Estimate the alkali with the caustic soda dose calculator. See how shea butter is refined to N-RBD and refined N-RBD shea butter. The lever for unrefined Grade A is intake quality and cooperative practice — fast boiling and drying, dry storage — explained on shea butter grades.

How EMI Agro controls FFA

EMI Agro states the measured free fatty acid for each shipment on the Certificate of Analysis. The QC laboratory is at the Moniya, Ibadan plant. For certification status and how testing is organised, see Certifications & Quality and the sample Certificate of Analysis.

Related parameters

Peroxide value records oxidation after extraction, not hydrolysis. Moisture content is the main storage-phase driver of further FFA rise. Saponification value and refractive index are identity checks, not freshness checks. All nine parameters sit on the shea butter specifications hub.