Nutrient composition of the marine snail (Hexaplex trunculus) from the Tunisian Mediterranean coasts.

Background: Marine snail (Hexaplex trunculus) presents increasing nutritional, commercial and economical importance, being widely consumed in northern Africa, particularly in Mediterranean countries. From a nutritional point of view there is still limited information on the chemical composition of edible tissues (meat and hepatopancreas) of this species. Therefore, the aims of the present work were to study the proximate chemical composition, fatty acid and amino acid profiles of H. trunculus from the Tunisian Mediterranean coasts.

Results: Fatty acid profiles showed that the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content is higher than the saturated fatty acids (SFA). The yields of PUFA and SFA present in the meat fat were 68.2% and 33.4% of the total fatty acids, respectively. Similar values were obtained in the hepatopancreatic lipidic fraction. Snail tissues contain valuable concentrations of PUFA, especially n-6 and n-3 with chain lengths of 20 and 22 carbons. All edible tissues were valuable sources of essential amino acids. Aspartic acid is the major amino acids present in the meat and hepatopancreas. The concentrations of nutrients were also determined in the hepatopancreas and meat of H. trunculus. Significantly high concentrations of minerals and trace elements were found in these tissues.

Conclusion: This study suggests that H. trunculus is an important source of protein and essential amino acids. Furthermore, the snail lipidic fraction contains high proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids benefical for human health.