Abstract

The shea nut pulp (SNP) has been used minimally for energy and heat generation. There is increased generation of SNP as waste during the processing of the shea nut fruit (SNF) to butter. Although the pulp is sweet and eaten by human and birds, there is paucity of information on the composition and potential uses of the SNP. This study investigated Vitellaria fruit pulp for their total solids and biochemical components. The fresh shea nut fruit weighs 32.33 g, the pulp is 24.61 g or 75.45% of the total fresh fruit weight and the dry weight is about 26.25%. The total solids are about 88.91 ± 0.15%. The moisture and ash contents are respectively 11.09±0.15 and 4.08±0.22%. The rest are 2.16±0.25% fat, 19.56±2.38% Fiber, 6.28±0.07% protein, and 56.83±2.09% carbohydrates. The shea nut pulp has enormous total solids and is a valuable source of proteins, fiber, lipids, and carbohydrates. The material can thus be used as raw material for animal feed production. The protein and carbohydrate concentrations make shea nut pulp suitable substrate for bio-ethanol production-beyond just energy and heat generation.

Key words: Vitellaria paradoxa, composition, biochemical, shea nut pulp, protein, proximate.