Investigation of nutritional properties of three species of marine turban snails for human consumption

Abstract

Turban snails (family Turbinidae) are gastropod molluscs that are harvested for human consumption yet little is known about the nutritional properties of these snails, particularly from Australian waters. This study compares the proximate composition (ash, moisture, protein, and lipid content), fatty acid profiles, mineral, and trace element content of three species of turbinid snails; Turbo militaris, Lunella undulata, and Lunella torquata from northern New South Wales, Australia. They were all found to have relatively high protein in their flesh (16.0% to 18.5% of the fresh weight). L. torquata had a significantly higher lipid content (8.5% w/w) than L. undulata (5.2% w/w), whereas T. militaris (5.6% w/w) was not significantly different to either. Analysis with gas chromatography showed there was no significant difference in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content, with an average of approximately 14% of the total fatty acids in all three species. However, saturated fatty acids (SFA) were significantly higher in T. militaris (41%), whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were significantly higher in L. undulata (46%). The ratio of n−3/n−6 fatty acids ranged from 1.1 in T. militaris to 1.4 in L. torquata, which is good for human health and comparable to other high value gastropods. The results indicate that T. militaris, L. undulata, and L. torquata provide a good source of essential elements such as zinc, selenium, and iron. At the location studied, toxic metals and metalloids were below safe recommended standards for human consumption. Overall, this study confirms the suitability of turban snails as a nutritional food for human consumption.

High-value compounds from the molluscs of marine and estuarine ecosystems as prospective functional food ingredients: An overview

“…The fatty acid composition, especially PUFA contents along with DHA and EPA were previously reported in the various gastropods, particularly in the snails ( Brazao et al, 2003 , Lah et al, 2016 ). Gastropods were found to possess various minerals, such as potassium, sodium, selenium, zinc, iron, and sulfur ( Lah et al, 2016 ). Also, the essential amino acid components were considerably higher in the gastropods, such as Chicoreus virginineus , Phalium glaucum , Rapana rapiformis , and Tonna dolium ( Babu, Venkatesan, & Rajagopal, 2011 ).…”

“…Usually, visceral tissues in the larger gastropods were not recommended for consumption, and the foot tissues were typically consumed by the people ( Saito & Aono, 2014 ). Therefore, the previous studies concluded that the foot tissues were suitable for human diet, due to higher protein and lesser lipid contents ( Lah et al, 2016 ). The fatty acid composition, especially PUFA contents along with DHA and EPA were previously reported in the various gastropods, particularly in the snails ( Brazao et al, 2003 , Lah et al, 2016 ).…”

“…Therefore, the previous studies concluded that the foot tissues were suitable for human diet, due to higher protein and lesser lipid contents ( Lah et al, 2016 ). The fatty acid composition, especially PUFA contents along with DHA and EPA were previously reported in the various gastropods, particularly in the snails ( Brazao et al, 2003 , Lah et al, 2016 ). Gastropods were found to possess various minerals, such as potassium, sodium, selenium, zinc, iron, and sulfur ( Lah et al, 2016 ).…”

Evolutionary design of a flexible, seasonally migratory, avian phenotype: why trade gizzard mass against pectoral muscle mass?

“…[39,54,55]). Although we did not obtain measures for the protein content of the Peringia used in our experiments, molluscs are generally recognized as being a protein-rich food (range 50% to greater than 80% protein by dry weight) [56][57][58]. Furthermore, in other studies, knots have been kept on diets of Peringia for extended periods (three to 12 months) [16, 54,59], with no evidence of loss of body condition, as would be expected if this food was low in protein.…”

Good News — Bad News: Combined Ocean Change Drivers Decrease Survival but Have No Negative Impact on Nutritional Value and Organoleptic Quality of the Northern Shrimp

“…Recent advances in environmental physiology have shown that ocean changes can also alter biochemical properties of seafood, including proximate composition: i.e., proteins (Tate et al, 2017), lipids (Anacleto et al, 2014;Ab Lah et al, 2017;Tate et al, 2017), and vitamin and mineral contents (López et al, 2010). These changes in biochemical properties can affect nutritive value, and possibly palatability and organoleptic quality (i.e., taste, smell, texture, appearance) of harvested species supporting important fisheries and coastal community economy.…”