Nutritional and Anti-Nutritional Profiles of Three Edible Snail Species in Awka Metropolis, Nigeria

Three different fleshy snail species namely
Achatina achatina (A. achatina), Achatina fulica (A.
fulica), and Limicolaria specie (Limicolaria sp.), available
within Awka Metropolis, Anambra State were subjected to
analytical assessment of the nutrition and anti nutritional
composition as a measure to appreciate their contribution
to human food/meat. The proximate evaluation was
carried out by adoption of standard analytical procedure
as established by AOAC, Official Methods of Analysis,
17th edition. The mineral contents of the snail samples
were determined using AAS. Identification and
quantitative determination of anti-nutrients were done via
gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID)
methods.The research revealed appreciable concentration of
essential minerals in the snail samples with high level of
antinutritional factors. High amount of carbohydrate was
implicated in the samples hence the consumption of these
snail samples should be at a minimal level to avoid
accumulation of antinutritional factors in the body system.