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Increasing demand of shea products (kernels and butter) has led to the assessment of the state-of-the-art of these products. In this review, attention has been focused on macronutrients and micronutrients of pulp, kernels, and butter of shea tree and also the physicochemical properties of shea butter. Surveying the literature revealed that the pulp is rich in vitamin C (196.1 mg/100 g); consumption of 50 g covers 332% and 98% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of children (4-8 years old) and pregnant women, respectively. The kernels contain a high level of fat (17.4-59.1 g/100 g dry weight). Fat extraction is mainly done by traditional methods that involve roasting and pressing of the kernels, churning the obtained liquid with water, boiling, sieving, and cooling. The fat (butter) is used in food preparation and medicinal and cosmetics industries. Its biochemical properties indicate some antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Large variations are observed in the reported values for the composition of shea products. Recommendations for future research are presented to improve the quality and the shelf-life of the butter. In addition, more attention should be given to the accuracy and precision in experimental analyses to obtain more reliable information about biological variation.

Chemical composition of Hibiscus drinks (Koor and Vimto varieties, commercial andtraditional, infusions and syrups) was related to sensory evaluation and acceptance.

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Color and taste are permanent features of amala, a traditional thick paste obtained from yam chips flour. To assess these attributes, 23 yam chips presenting various quality attributes were processed. The sensory attributes of their derived amala were determined and some biochemical characteristics of yam flours measured. A panel defined five main taste attributes for amala: sweetness, bitterness, acidity, fermented, and roasted tastes. Amala color was measured instrumentally and sensory scores were highly correlated with flour biochemical analyses; amala sweetness was positively correlated with glucose and fructose content of the flour, whereas amala acidity and fermented taste were linked to organic acids and lactic acid contents of flour, respectively. In addition, darkness, bitterness, and roasted tastes of amala could be tightly predicted by multiple regression analysis from phenolic compound and glucose-fructose contents. Phenolic content of yam flour plays thus a key role on sensorial quality of amala. However, polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activities were almost null in yam flours and their specific role on yam flour phenolic content needs to be clarified.