Lifecycle Evaluation of the Nutritional Benefits and Biosafety of Snail (Archachatina marginata)

Abstract

Ninety snails Archachatina marginata (Swainson, 1821), which comprised 30 each of adults (325.43 ± 2.03 g), growers (119.05 ± 1.05 g) and snailets (33.05 ± 1.00 g) were used to determine the lifecycle nutritional and bio-safety benefits of consumption of snail meat. This study was aimed to further investigate, the nutrients, heavy metals and bio-safety of snail consumed by Nigerians, due to increasing industrialization, use of agro-chemical mineral exploration, fumes from vehicles and improper disposal of refuse and sewage. Each age group was regarded as a treatment, for the holistic determination of the proximate, macronutrient, heavy metals, lipid profile and carcass yield of the snail meat. The snail was carefully cleaned and dressed for meat samples collection in triplicates for subsequent laboratory determination of the nutritional and bio-safety parameters. The collected samples were processed, using standard procedures. Data were collected for proximate components (Crude protein, crude fibre, Ether Extract, NFE and Ash), macronutrients (Na, K, Ca, P, Mg and Fe) heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Ni, Cd, Cr and MN), total cholesterol and lipid profile (HDL, LDL and FFA) and carcass yield. Data collected were subjected to (ANOVA), in a complete randomized design, while significant means were separated using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test. Proximate components such as Crude protein 15.88±1,39% and ether extract 1.24 ± 0.22%, increased (P<0.05) with the age of snail, while NFE reduced with age. Highest (P<0.05) carcass yield (44.23%) was obtained for snailets, with corresponding least (P<0.05) values for total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and FFA, cholesterol levels were significantly varied, in all groups and the contents of macronutrients and heavy metals in snail meat were tolerable in human nutrition and therefore not deleterious.