Fatty acids and contaminants in edible marine gastropods from Patagonia

Abstract

Edible marine gastropods are consumed in northern Patagonia without regulations or knowledge of nutritional composition and food quality. We determined total lipids (TL), fatty acid (FA), paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) and metal contamination in six edible marine gastropods: Buccinanops globulosus, B. cochlidium, Trophon geversianus, Odontocymbiola magellanica, Tegula patagonica and Nacella magellanica. TL was lowest in the foot (0.29–0.56%) and maximum in organs (1.43–3.2%), presenting less TL than other edible species around the world. Saturated FA were similar to other consumed marine gastropods worldwide and dominant in all species studied (33.26–48.19%), while monounsaturated FA reached about 30% only in 2 species, but did not exceed 18% in the other species. Polyunsaturated FA reached up to 23.77%, but generally did not exceed 14%. Highly unsaturated FA (AA, EPA and DHA), reached about 27%. The dominant FA was palmitic acid (0.217 to 2.43 µg mg−1).Differences in FA could be related to the different alimentation of the species. Limit of PSP consumption was exceeded in a few months only for two species. Lead was not detectable (<4 µg g−1) while cadmium ranged from 0.07 to 15.32 µg g−1. Our results can be useful to ensure the safety food of these resources, which are being consumed and exported in low quantities in Argentina, but may be commercialized massively in the near future. Monitoring these and other food resources is essential and should be performed in any established fishery of the species reported here to guarantee the safety human consumption.

Reproduction and nutritional values of the edible limpet <em>Nacella magellanica</em> (Gastropoda: Patellogastropoda)

“…Therefore, because of its salubrious nutritional properties and the ease of collection and processing, N. magellanica should be considered an optimally desirable seafood for human consumption. However, cadmium concentrations up to 4 µg/g (ww) were also found in organs of N. magellanica and around 3 µg/g (ww) in the muscle (edible part) in the same study area (Bigatti et al 2017). Due to the potential human risk, the presence of trace metals should be determined in each exploited population.…”

“…Recent studies on the nutritional properties of N. magellanica from the same study area have demonstrated the presence of polyunsaturated fatty acids-including the nutritionally essential species arachidonic acid (ω6), eicosapentaenoic acid (ω3) and docosahexaenoic acid (ω3)-at values of about 16% of total fatty acids (Bigatti et al 2017). Therefore, because of its salubrious nutritional properties and the ease of collection and processing, N. magellanica should be considered an optimally desirable seafood for human consumption.…”

Nutritional composition of Patagonian marine gastropods during reproductive seasonality

“…Overall, the capture periods extend over a six month range, representing an additional advantage for the small fishery industries present in this area, and it is also coincident with the season where no harmful algal blooms are recorded in the studied zone (Santinelli et al ., 2002). This is important, as it is known that toxin accumulation can occur in carnivorous gastropods due to ingestion of bivalve prey (Cumplido, 2016; Bigatti et al ., 2017). Our recommendation is in accordance with management regulation No.…”

“…In Argentina, marine gastropods have been the subject of increasing fishing interest (Ciocco, 1995; Lasta et al ., 1998; Bigatti et al ., 2015). Official marine gastropod landings have been reported since 1936, where volutids were the main exploited species (Lasta et al ., 1998; Giménez et al ., 2005; Sánchez et al ., 2012), but catch regulations have been implemented in only one province since 2018 (Cumplido, 2016; Bigatti et al ., 2017).…”

“…In contrast, T. geversianus is still not consumed or captured in the region, but it has been registered in landing records for 25 years in the Patagonian region of Chile on the Pacific south-east (Santana, 1998; González Yáñez et al ., 2007; Cumplido et al ., 2010). Patagonian gastropods are rich in essential fatty acids and exhibit a differential accumulation of harmful substances, where the viscera comprise the entry, accumulation and detoxification of metals and toxins (Cumplido, 2016; Bigatti et al ., 2017; Primost et al ., 2017). This study investigated, for the first time, the nutritional values of marine gastropods captured in the region of major extraction by artisanal fishers in northern Patagonia, establishing whether the seasonal variation in the biochemical composition is related to the reproductive season, with implications for capture policy and resource conservation.…”