Nutritional Composition, Fatty Acids Profile, Mineral Content, Antioxidant Activity and Acute Toxicity of the Flesh of Helix aspersa Müller

Abstract

Humans consume snail flesh as part of their diet. To assess its nutritional value and toxicity, chemical analyses were conducted to confirm the presence of protein, total and reduced carbohydrates, fat, fatty acid composition and mineral components. Furthermore, an acute toxicity study was carried out to determine the safety of Helix aspersa Müller snail flesh. H. aspersa Müller snail flesh exhibits a high nutritional content, a good ω3/ω6 ratio and higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids. Various minerals have been found in the flesh of H. aspersa Müller. Around 76.91 kcal, or 3.84% of the energy of a daily meal of 2000 kcal, are present in 100 g of this flesh. The evaluation of the antioxidant capacity indicated that the flesh’s extracts contained a large quantity of antioxidant biomolecules. Administration of the aqueous extract of H. aspersa Müller flesh didn’t cause death in laboratory rats, indicating that the lethal dose 50 is greater than 2000 mg·kg−1 body weight. The consumption of the flesh of H. aspersa Müller is highly recommended for human consumption due to its high concentration of nutrients and essential elements, as well as unsaturated fats, and due to its safety.

Exploring the Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Properties of Helix aspersa Müller Flesh Crude Extract: A Comprehensive Investigation

“…The feet (with the head) were recovered and cleaned of mud with a NaCl solution (1.2%) and were washed with distilled water and dried on absorbent paper. The samples were dried in an oven (60 °C for 48 h) and then ground and sieved for recovery …”

“…The temperature of the ion source was 230 °C, and it then quadrupled to 150 °C. The electron multiplier voltage (EM voltage) was kept at 1100 V above the self-regulatory level, with a 3 min solvent delay …”

Antioxidant activity, phytochemical screening and GC-MS profile of Abies marocana Trab.

“…The extract's total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was measured using the method described by Aouji et al (2023). A 0.1 mL sample of extracts was combined with 1 mL of the reagent solution in a tube (0.6 M sulfuric acid, 28 mM sodium phosphate, and 4 mM ammonium molybdate).…”