Refined N-RBD Shea Butter for Food Manufacturing
Food use is a refined-only specification: free fatty acid, peroxide value and moisture, under food rules — not cosmetic ones.
Summary
Yes — only refined N-RBD shea butter is offered for food manufacturing: neutral flavour and odour, with free fatty acid and peroxide value in the refined literature band, on a food-document pack confirmed on the enquiry. Published edible-fat uses include cocoa-butter-equivalent feedstock and, in the literature, bakery shortenings, ice-cream fats and margarine blends. EMI Agro states HACCP as in progress and supplies a batch Certificate of Analysis; the commercial offer lives on shea butter for food manufacturers.
- Product type
- Refined N-RBD
- INCI
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
- Recommended for
- Food Manufacturing
- Decisive parameters
- FFA · PV · Moisture · Melting point
- Standard basis
- NIS 571:2013; AOCS / ISO test methods
Recommended specifications for food manufacturing
| Parameter | Target for food manufacturing | Why it matters | Test method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free fatty acid (FFA) | Available on request | Taste, smoke behaviour and frying or shortening performance; food buyers write the tightest free fatty acid on the site. | AOCS Ca 5a-40 / ISO 660 |
| Peroxide value (PV) | Available on request | Oxidation clock for a fat that will sit in a plant silo and a finished food. | AOCS Cd 8-53 |
| Moisture and volatiles | Available on request | Water drives hydrolysis and microbial risk in an edible fat. | AOCS Ca 2b-38 / ISO 662 |
| Slip melting point | Available on request | Sets plasticity in shortenings and melt in coatings; consistency beats the absolute number. | AOCS Cc 3-25 |
| Colour | Available on request | Neutral fat must not tint a filling or coating. | AOCS Cc 13e-92 |
| Unsaponifiable matter | Available on request | Identity; refining lowers it slightly. | AOCS Ca 6a-40 |
For food manufacturing, free fatty acid, peroxide value and moisture decide edible-fat fitness; melting point is the process-fit check. Copy the rows into the purchase specification. Chocolate vegetable-fat rules belong on refined N-RBD for chocolate (CBE), not here. How to read the sheet is in the COA guide.
Why Refined N-RBD shea butter suits food manufacturing
- Only refined N-RBD is offered for food manufacturing: unrefined flavour, odour, colour and Grade A free-fatty-acid and peroxide-value bands are not food-ingredient specifications.
- Neutralisation, bleaching and deodorisation are what produce a neutral, low-FFA, low-PV fat.
- Destination rules are food-ingredient, contaminant and labelling rules — not cosmetic-product rules.
- Published edible-fat uses of shea include cocoa-butter-equivalent feedstock and, in the literature, bakery shortenings, ice-cream fats and margarine blends. Those published uses are not automatic EMI sales claims.
- HACCP status is in progress. ISO 22000 is not claimed.
- Chocolate and cocoa-butter-equivalent formulation depth lives on the CBE page; buyer-type documents live on the food-manufacturers page.
A food specification is free fatty acid, peroxide value, moisture and documents — not INCI or cosmetic-product notification. Destination food law sits with the buyer's responsible operator. Published uses of shea fat in bakery, ice cream and margarine are literature categories, not named EMI customers. Chocolate specialists should open refined N-RBD for chocolate (CBE). Who buys, and the document pack, live on food manufacturers. What N-RBD does to flavour is in the refining guide.
Intake checks for a food QA laboratory:
- free fatty acid and peroxide value on arrival versus the COA;
- flavour panel against a retained standard;
- melting point versus the process specification;
- retain sample for the life of the lot.
This page makes no health claims and no finished-food brand claims.
Why unrefined Grade A is not offered for this use
Unrefined Grade A is not offered as a food ingredient: flavour, odour, higher free fatty acid and peroxide value, and ivory colour sit outside an edible-fat specification. There is no unrefined food application page. Cosmetic buyers should use the cosmetics pages. unrefined Grade A shea butter.
Supply format
EMI Agro loads at Apapa (Lagos) and Tin Can Island (Lagos). Packaging, sample size, minimum order, Incoterms and lead time are confirmed on the quote for the grade and destination you name.
- MOQ
- Standard orders start at 20 tonnes. Trial lots start at 5 tonnes. Smaller volumes can still be requested — we review every enquiry against current production.
- Incoterms
- EXW, FOB, CIF
- Lead time
- Lead time is Ibadan production time plus ocean time to the named port. EMI Agro produces 40 tonnes per week of finished shea butter and can schedule rolling shipments. Exact weeks depend on the quantity on the purchase order.
- Samples
- Trial lots start at 5 tonnes of the named grade. Send the request even if you need less — we review whether we can supply.
- Load ports
- Apapa (Lagos), Tin Can Island (Lagos)
Quality & traceability
Finished butter is specified on a NIS 571:2013 basis. Parameters in the table are measured on every finished batch; the Certificate of Analysis reports the measured values. Kernel lots are titrated for free fatty acid at intake and kept segregated. Kernels are wild-collected through a cooperative network of 5,000+ women collectors. Certification status: NAFDAC registered, SON approved, HACCP in progress, USDA NOP (Organic) in pursuit, EU Organic (EOS) in pursuit, COSMOS in pursuit. Detail sits on the quality page.
- Every finished batch is tested; measured values are reported on the Certificate of Analysis.
- Kernel lots are titrated for free fatty acid at intake and kept segregated.
Related pages
Complete guide to shea butter
Origin, grades, specifications and supply
Refined N-RBD Shea Butter
Refined N-RBD shea butter product page
Refined N-RBD for Chocolate (CBE)
Refined N-RBD shea butter for chocolate (CBE): stearic/oleic profile, slip point and the EU 5% vegetable-fat rule.
Refined N-RBD for Pharmaceutical Excipient Use
Refined N-RBD shea butter for pharmaceutical excipient use: purity, residual-solvent statements and TDS — not a finished-drug claim.
Free fatty acid (FFA)
FFA measures hydrolytic breakdown of the fat; it is set by kernel handling before pressing, not by filtration afterwards.
Peroxide value (PV)
Peroxide value is the first oxidation marker; a rising PV on a stored lot is a storage or age problem, not a pressing problem.
Moisture and volatiles
Moisture above a tight band accelerates hydrolysis and microbial risk in an otherwise anhydrous fat.
Slip melting point
Slip melting point governs skin feel and the fat's behaviour in a chocolate or balm formula.
Food Manufacturers
Refined N-RBD shea for food and confectionery.
Shea Butter vs Cocoa Butter
Melting point, fatty acids and uses — shea butter compared with cocoa butter.
Shea Export Container Calculator
Units, pallets and 20ft/40ft fit for a shea butter order.
How Shea Butter Is Refined: The N-RBD Process
Neutralisation, bleaching and deodorisation — what each step changes.
How to Read a Shea Butter COA
Every COA line explained, with red flags and a buyer checklist.
N-RBD
Neutralised, bleached and deodorised refined shea.
Free Fatty Acid (FFA)
Share of fatty acids free of the glycerol backbone.
Certificate of Analysis (sample)
How a batch is reported
Certifications & Quality
Status, testing and documents
Frequently asked questions
References & standards
- Honfo, F.G. et al. (2014). Nutritional composition of shea products and chemical properties of shea butter: a review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. — Taylor & Francis
- Codex Stan 19-1981 — Standard for Edible Fats and Oils — FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius
- AOCS Official Methods Ca 5a-40, Cd 8-53, Ca 2b-38, Ca 6a-40, Cc 3-25, Cc 13e-92, Cd 3-25, Cd 1-25 — American Oil Chemists' Society
- NIS 571:2013 — Shea butter — Standards Organisation of Nigeria
Last reviewed September 2026 by EMI Agro Industries QC team.
Manufacturer-direct from Ibadan, Nigeria
Test refined N-RBD shea butter in your food manufacturing formulation.
Request a sample against the specification above, or ask for the full spec sheet and a current COA.
You have just read Refined N-RBD Shea Butter for Food Manufacturing. The next step is a real lot from the factory that produces it — EMI Agro, with factory-direct pricing and a batch Certificate of Analysis.
Trusted manufacturer
EMI Agro Industries Limited (RC 9364495) presses the butter in Ibadan — we are not a trading company.
Competitive factory-direct prices
Quoted EXW, FOB or CIF — the buyer chooses. You pay the factory, not a chain of middlemen.
Export-ready supply
We ship to European Union, United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Southeast Asia, China, India, Middle East, Latin America. Load ports: Apapa (Lagos) or Tin Can Island (Lagos).
Documented lots
40 tonnes per week of finished shea butter, a Certificate of Analysis on every batch, NAFDAC registered and SON approved.