A review of the nutritional potential of edible snails: A sustainable underutilized food resource

Abstract

Despite the use of snails as food in many different communities in the world, the consumption of snail meat is still far from being appreciated. The authors compiled and reviewed the nutrient composition of edible snail meat based on the available scientific literature. The protein, fat, and ash content of snail meat were found to be 14.0, 1.4 and 2.1% on the basis of fresh matter respectively. Comparable protein content with conventional foods of animal origin along with the presence of all essential amino acids and less carbon footprint makes the snail meat a sustainable food source. Moreover, less fat content but higher proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and considerable presence of minerals with nutritional importance especially calcium, zinc, and iron could exhibit human nutritional benefits. However, the establishment of heliciculture facilities is a necessity in order to support this sustainable food resource and also enhance the economic condition of certain local areas.