USDA Approves the Use of Cocoa Butter Extract from Shea Tree

Bunge Loders Croklaan (BLC) announced last month it received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its new cocoa butter extracted from the nut of the shea tree.  FDA effectively allows the use of shea olein, the soft fraction of shea butter, in the manufacturing and distribution of a variety of US products including baked goods, snacks, spread, sauces, frozen dairy desserts and more.  The development could potentially boost West African shea exports to the US by an estimated 13,480 million tons annually and generate US $8,519,432 additional income per year for West African economies, according to the Global Shea Alliance.  
BLC’s latest offering, and the second GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) recognized that shea ingredient allows manufacturers the ability to incorporate this new shea ingredient into many applications.  In 1998, shea stearin, the firm fraction of shea butter, was recognized as GRAS in the US for use in confections and frostings, coatings of soft candy, and sweet sauces and toppings. With this second shea ingredient, customers now have a broader range of shea options to help meet needs across consumer trends, functionality, and sensory.
According to the Global Shea Alliance (GSA), this new shea ingredient will help enhance the texture, stability, and melting points of a variety of packaged goods including cookies, croissants, margarines, mayonnaise, salad dressing, snack bars, nut and seed butters, and candy bars.  The GSA added that shea is regarded as a highly healthy oil, and which can be used in conventional foods as a replacement for animal fats and vegetable fats rich in palmitic, myristic and lauric fatty acids.