Effect of Cooking and Drying of Shea Nuts (Butyrospermum parkii (G. Don) Kotschy) on the Quality of Butter. Cooking time and drying temperature of shea nuts (Butyrospermum parkii) which protect the quality of the butter were determined. A cooking of nuts in boiling water for 100 to 120 minutes followed by the drying at 60-70 °C allows to obtain a butter with an acidity lower than 0.3% oléic acid, a peroxide value close to 1 meq O2/kg, a high content of unsaponifiable matters (> 5%) containing more than 80% of triterpenic alcohols. Thus, the cooking of shea nuts appears as an important operation for the process of the shea butter extraction.