Predictive, Preventive & Personalized Medicine and Molecular Diagnostics

Biography

Biography: Megnanou Rose-Monde

Abstract

Traditional shea butter has increasing demand throughout the world which is directly linked to its intrinsic biochemical properties. There are various processes that induced several qualities of shea butter, but author has set up the optimized traditional processes which lead to shea butter in conformity with international standards and presenting interesting nutritive and cosmetic/pharmaceutical potentials. It consists of a creamy fat which is UV-visible and infrared spectra revealed anti-UV compounds, carotenoids and chlorophyll. Tocopherols (3788.44±1.90 ppm), vitamin A equivalent (0,065± 0,001 g/100g), and various fatty acids (oleic, linoleic, linolenic, arachidic, palmitic and stearic) and exaltolide which is an unusual compound of shea butter were also found. pH (06.78±0.30) was nearby neutral and unsaponifiable (17.61±0.01%) content is very high. Above all, its moisture (0.15%), acid (0.280±0.001 mg KOH/g) and peroxide (0.960±0.001 mEgO₂/kg) indexes were at far lower than those (8.36±0.02%, 14.97±0.33 mg KOH/g and 17.92±0.50 mEgO₂/kg, respectively) of ordinary traditional shea butter. These potentials would place the optimized shea butter at the level of valuable organic (Bio) vegetable fat exploitable in preventive and curative medicine. Moreover, it would contribute to improve rural woman-producers living standard.