NUTRITIONAL PROFILING OF SELECTED SPECIES OF EDIBLE MARINE MOLLUSCS FROM THE SOUTH-WEST COAST OF INDIA

The current study determined the nutritional parameters of selected species of edible marine molluscs viz., - Indian squid Uroteuthis duvaucelii, veined octopus Amphioctopus marginatus, neglected ocellate octopus Amphioctopus neglectus, spineless cuttlefish Sepiella inermis and edible oyster Crassostrea  madrasensis from the Arabian Sea and estuarine systems of the south-west coast of India. The selected species demonstrated balanced essential to non-essential amino acids ratio (1.04-1.52). U. duvaucelii exhibited greater quantities of sulfur comprising amino acids (0.102 g 100 g^-1 wet weight) and lysine (1.566 g 100 g^-1). Among polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were found to be prominent in edible portion of the molluscs studied (7.6-10.3 and 8.7-17.4% respectively).  A. neglectus exhibited significantly greater n-3/n-6 PUFA (~7, p<0.05) than other molluscs. Lower thrombogenicity and atherogenicity indices (<0.45 and <0.85, respectively) make the mollusc studied during the present investigation valuable food items for cardio-protection and anti-platelet aggregation. Higher content of vitamin D₃ (489 IU) and vitamin K1 (1.84 µg 100 g^-1) in C. madrasensis signified their importance in preventing osteoporosis. The results reveal that these species are good sources of essential elements and toxic metals were below threshold limits of recommended standards for human consumption.