Mango Kernel Butter

The Konkan produces Alphonso and Ratnagiri mangoes in volumes that feed the world for two months a year. What nobody photographs is the seed. It sits in the core of every mango and, once the flesh is pulped, becomes a disposal problem for processors. In Ratnagiri district alone, that amounts to roughly 15,000 tonnes of kernel waste every season.

The intended process: kernels from named pulp houses, washed, shelled, and dried to below eight percent moisture before pressing. The extraction is specified cold — temperature held below 55°C — to preserve the tocopherols and keep the colour pale. A bleaching and deodorising step is planned for formulators who need a white, odour-neutral butter; the unrefined grade is the one we quietly prefer.

The butter your sustainability officer and your formulator both agree on.

The fatty acid profile is more balanced than kokum. Oleic sits between 45 and 50 percent, stearic between 40 and 45 percent. The result is a butter that behaves like a cross between shea and cocoa: soft enough to spread at 25°C, firm enough to hold structure in a lipstick at 40°C. It is our recommendation for any brand that wants to tell an upcycling story without sacrificing sensorial quality.