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Four triterpene acetates, α-amyrin acetate (1a), β-amyrin acetate (2a), lupeol acetate (3a), and butyrospermol acetate (4a), and four triterpene cinnamates, α -amyrin cinnamate (1c), β -amyrin cinnamate (2c), lupeol cinnamate (3c), and butyrospermol cinnamate (4c), were isolated from the kernel fat (n-hexane extract) of the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa; Sapotaceae). Upon evaluation of these eight triterpene esters for inhibitory activity against 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (

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The content and composition of triterpene alcohol fractions of the non-saponifi able lipids (NSL) along with the fatty acid composition of the kernel fats (n-hexane extracts) of the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa; Sapotaceae) were determined for 36 samples from seven sub-Saharan countries: Cote d Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroun, Chad, Sudan, and Uganda. The fat content of the kernels, proportion of NSL in the fats, and triterpene alcohols in the NSL are in the range of 30-54, 2-12, and 22-72 , respectively. The triterpene alcohol fractions contained α-amyrin (1), β-amyrin (2), lupeol (3), and butyrospermol (4) as the major constituents along with minor or trace amounts of ψ-taraxasterol (5), taraxasterol (6), parkeol (7), 24-methylene-24-dihydroparkeol (8), 24-methylenecycloartanol (9), dammaradienol (10), and 24-methylenedammarenol (11). Fatty acid composition is dominated by stearic (28-56 ) and oleic (34-61 ) acids. Shea butters from West African provenances contained in general higher levels of triterpene alcohols and stearic acid than those from East African provenances. Both stearic acid and total triterpene alcohol contents were significantly correlated to the latitude and elevation of the source population, indicating that higher levels of these compounds are found at higher ambient temperatures.

Agroforestry supports food and nutritional security through: (1) the direct provision of tree foods such as fruits and leafy vegetables and by supporting staple crop production; (2) by raising farmers' incomes through the sale of tree products and surplus staples; (3) by providing fuels for cooking; and (4) by supporting various ecosystem services such as pollination that are essential for the production of some food plants. While challenges for agroforestry in supporting food and nutritional security include policy and market constraints and an underinvestment in research, strong opportunities exist to promote multifunctional, climate-smart agricultural methods involving trees. To better support food and nutritional security, developments in agroforestry policies are required to reform tree and land tenure for the benefit of small-scale farmers, to reform how smallholders obtain agroforestry inputs such as tree seed and seedlings, and to recognise agroforestry as an important investment option. Research should support tree domestication to improve the yields of tree foods, and seek to enhance the complementarity and stability of food production in smallholders' agroforestry systems.