Soap Production From Shea nut Butter

Abstract

The study was carried out to explore the use of shea butter for soap production. The traditional method of extraction of the shea nut oil was employed. A simple cold-process alkali hydrolysis of the shea nut oil, which is a village adoptable technology was used in producing the soap. The chemical analysis of the oil revealed that it had saponification, iodine and acid values of 183.1 mgKOH/g, 53.6 I₂/100g and 10.3 mgKOH/g respectively.

Keywords: Shea nut butter, soap, saponification, village technology

International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences, 5(4): 410-412, 2009