Shea Nuts to Shea Butter – Kneading

Posted on 09. Sep, 2009 by funlayo in Production, The Experts

The kneading process is the actual extraction phase. All the preliminary activities of boiling, shelling, drying, crushing, roasting and milling serve to make extraction process more productive. Kneading is a manual process that is done in a deep basin.  The paste is mixed with water to make it easy to knead.  The women knead this brown paste with their hands and continue to add water until a white butter rises to the surface.  In one Shea producing area, I observed women kneading with their feet, in a manner similar to stomping grapes in the Mediterranean.

Hand churning is the preferred method in this process.

Tags: butter, churning, kneading, shea butter extraction, water conservation