The aim of this study was to establish a comparative analysis of the physicochemical and the thermal behavior
(solid fat content (SFC) by p-NMR, and by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of shea butter (SB) from Burkina
Faso, related to different traditional extraction processes. Thirty-seven samples obtained from different localities
were collected from local producers and analyzed for chemical indexes, unsaponifiable matter content (UMC),
color, yellow index, fatty acids (FA) profile, and thermal behavior. Results showed that stearic acid and oleic acid
were the most important FA but varied from 47.2 ± 0.2 to 51.0 ± 0.1%, respectively. Chemical quality variations
among the 37 samples were observed: UMC (3.0 ± 1.0 to 12.0 ± 0.1%), peroxide value (4.6 ± 0.1 to 44.5 ± 0.2
meqO2/kg), iodine value by GC (50.5 to 64.2 g/100g), free fatty acids (1.1 ± 0.1 to 9.7 ± 0.1%). Statistically
significant relationships were observed between thermal properties and chemical parameters. The results were
subjected to clustering and principal component analysis (PCA). Results showed that a great diversity exists
among crude shea butter samples from Burkina Faso which is due to both regional variation and difference in
extraction processes. A standardization of the process could help to improve the quality.

Shea butter, Extraction process, Solid fat content, Differential scanning calorimetry, Chemical quality