INDIGENOUS METHODS OF PROCESSING SHEA BUTTER AND ITS ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE IN BIDA AND ENVIRONS

Abstract

This study assessed the Indigenous methods of processing shea butter that has been passed on from generation to generation and storage procedures (materials and containers used/perceived shelf life of the products used for preservation and its economic importance). Little variation was found in indigenous processing methods, utilization and storage across most of the villages. The used of onion to improve the taste and smell of butter was found to be practiced in almost all the villages. Perception about shelf life of the butter was found to vary widely among the processors and consumers ( 3 months to 2 years). Though this was the main focus of the study, most of the indigenous processors and consumers had little experience as far as this problem was concerned. This was due to the fact that most of them consumed the butter within one or two months after processing and so the product is not kept long enough to give any appreciable signs of rancidity.