Fatty acid profile of shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa C. F. Gaertn.) seeds from the savanna of Nigeria.

摘要

Shea nuts were collected in July 2006 across Nigeria's guinean and sudanian savanna zones from the following locations: Lokoja, Makurdi, Akwanga, Minna, Kachia, Jalingo, Yola and Kano. Fat extract of the nuts was subjected to laboratory analysis to determine the fatty acid profile. Results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant variation in stearic and oleic acids content across agroecological zones. On the other hand, all the fatty acid profiles were significantly influenced by provenance. Stearic acid content was generally the highest, followed by oleic, linoleic and palmitic acids, in that order. Stearic and oleic, the most dominant fatty acids, varied from 45.1-49.7% to 37.2-43.4% respectively. The Jalingo provenance, with the highest stearic acid content (49.7%), had the least amount of oleic acid (37.2%).