Carcass evaluation and nutritive value of some popular edible molluscs in Nigeria

The carcass characteristics and nutritive value of the giant African land snails (A. achatina and A. marginata), the common garden snail (V. quadrata) and periwinkles (P. aurita and T. fuscatus) were assessed. The edible portions account for less than 42% of the live weight in all molluscs. Protein content was generally high: 74.9% in A. achatina, 71.6% in A. marginata, 76.2% in V. quadrata, 82.5% in P. aurita and 61.3% in T. fuscatus. Fat level was low in the molluscs (1.0-1.5%). Amino acid analysis indicated that all species were particularly rich in lysine (7.4-10.0 g/16 g N). All, except P. aurita were low in methionine (0.92-1.95 g/16 g N). A. achatina gave the highest PER (4.0) followed by A. marginata (3.7), T. fuscatus (2.9), V. quadrata (2.0) and P. aurita (1.9). Rats in each group gained weight during the experimental period. TD, BV and NPU generally followed the same trend.