Mango Butter

The Mangifera indica tree is a large fruit tree that originated from the Indian subcontinent. It is now cultivated in warmer areas throughout the world including Southern parts of Florida, Texas and California. Each fruit has one large flat oval seed found within the pit. The seed is washed, sundried, roasted and separated from the hull. Mango butter is produced from pressing these dried components with a hydraulic press, a process that produces the “unrefined” version of the butter. Other methods use organic solvents to extract the oil and this would be termed “refined” butter.

Interesting fact is that the Mangifera indica is part of the sumac and poison ivy family! The compound urushiol (one of my least favorite molecules!) causes the traditional irritating rash from sumac and poison ivy. Urushiol is found in the sap, skin, stem, and leaf of mango trees. But, the butter, isolated from the large seed, does not have this molecule. The fatty acid content of mango butter is approximately: 8.2% C16:0, 36.3% C18:0, 43.9% C18:1, 9.1% C18:2, and 1.9% C20:0. The values vary based on the Mangifera variety, as with any oil or butter. (See reference: Sridhar et al., 1991).

References

Sridhar, R., Lakshminarayana, G., Kaimal, T.N.B. (1991). Modification of selected Indian vegetable fats into cocoa butter substitutes by lipase-catalyzed ester interchange. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc., 68, 726.