Molluscan Research

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Comparison of fatty acids and some mineral

matter profiles of wild and farmed snails, Cornu
aspersum Müller, 1774

Meryem Yeşim Çelik, Mehmet Bedrettin Duman, Merve Sariipek, Gülşen

Uzun Gören, Dilara Kaya Öztürk, Demet Kocatepe & Sedat Karayücel

To cite this article: Meryem Yeşim Çelik, Mehmet Bedrettin Duman, Merve Sariipek, Gülşen
Uzun Gören, Dilara Kaya Öztürk, Demet Kocatepe & Sedat Karayücel (2019): Comparison of fatty
acids and some mineral matter profiles of wild and farmed snails, Cornu�aspersum Müller, 1774,
Molluscan Research, DOI: 10.1080/13235818.2019.1596531

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/13235818.2019.1596531

Published online: 18 Jun 2019.

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 MOLLUSCAN RESEARCH
https://doi.org/10.1080/13235818.2019.1596531

Comparison of fatty acids and some mineral matter profiles of wild and farmed
snails, Cornu aspersum Müller, 1774
Meryem Yeşim Çelik a, Mehmet Bedrettin Duman a, Merve Sariipek a
, Gülşen Uzun Gören a
,
Dilara Kaya Öztürk a, Demet Kocatepe b and Sedat Karayücel a
a
Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Fisheries Faculty, Sinop University, Sinop, Turkey; bDepartment of Fish Processing Technology,
Fisheries Faculty, Sinop University, Sinop, Turkey

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The fatty acid and mineral matter compositions of the visceral mass and pedal mass of wild and Received 20 April 2018
farmed Cornu aspersum were compared. The relative fatty acid amounts of the visceral and Final version received 3
pedal masses of wild and farmed snails are: polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) > saturated March 2019
fatty acid (SFA) > monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), PUFA > SFA > MUFA, MUFA > PUFA >
KEYWORDS
SFA and PUFA > MUFA > SFA, respectively. Wild snails had a higher concentration of iron and Eicosapentaenoic acid;
zinc than farmed snails. Selenium was 2.82 times higher in the pedal mass of farmed snails docosahexaenoic acid; erucic
than the pedal mass of wild snails. Ca:P ratios in the visceral mass of wild snails, visceral acid; calcium to phosphorus
mass and pedal mass of farmed snails were 1.76:1, 1.12:1 and 3.87:1 respectively. Both wild ratio
and farmed snails have high contents of oleic, linoleic, eicosapentaenoic and
docosahexaenoic fatty acids and are a good source of minerals. Careful attention should be
paid, however, as to which diet will be used during farming because the composition of fatty
acid in the snail is affected by diet.

Introduction
At the present time, the demand for edible animal
protein is growing much faster than production. Tra-
ditional protein sources such as poultry, beef, fish and
lamb have prices that exceed the purchasing power
of most consumers in the world. Hence, studies on
alternative edible animal protein sources have
increased. Land snail meat is a valuable food with
high-quality protein and high calcium, magnesium
and iron content (Temelli et al. 2006). On average
100 g (wet weight) of snail meat has 12.9 g of
protein, from 0.6 g to 1.5 g of fats (mainly polyunsatu-
rated), 2.4 g of minerals (mostly Ca, P, Fe, Cu) and
60 mg of vitamin A (Picchi 2003). The meat contains
80 mg Ca per 100 g which is lower than other conven-
tional meat sources such as beef, chicken and fish
(Cheney 1988). Cornu aspersum Müller, 1774 which
dominates the world market for landsnails, also has
high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs),
especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5ω3) and
linolenic acid (C18:3ω3). Some researchers have
reported that the amounts of fatty acids are dependent
on the feeding regime including added oil sources. In
particular, the levels of saturated fatty acid (SFA),
monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsatu-
rated fatty acid (PUFA) in the diet have a direct effect
on the fatty acid composition of the organism
(Milinsk et al. 2003; Özoğul et al. 2005; Ikauniece et al.
2014).
Snails also contain high levels of calcium, zinc, and
their foot muscles are rich in copper, selenium and
iron (Gomot 1988; Saldanha et al. 2001). These are
recognised as essential biochemical components of a
human diet (Citil et al. 2014). The mineral content of
snail meat depends on several factors such as
species, biological cycle, season, nutrient availability,
environment, etc. (Özoğul et al 2005).
Snails are traditionally eaten in several countries in
Western Europe, America, and Southeast Asia. Turkey
has been one of the chief exporters of C. aspersum to
European countries, mostly France (TUIK 2017). Nowa-
days, over-harvesting and environmental and climatic
changes have caused the snail stock to decrease so
that production does not satisfy demand. Commercial
snail farming is therefore being used to meet the
demand. Snail farming represents a low-tech, low-
capital investment activity and requires only a low
level of mechanisation (Forte et al 2016).
There are concerns about the comparative nutri-
tional value of farmed and wild production and about
which tissues should be eaten. Snails are prepared for
human consumption in different ways, depending on
the species and the region (Gomot 1988). C. aspersum
is generally eaten as a whole body (pedal mass and
visceral mass) although the visceral mass may be
removed according to eating habits.
This study was conducted to analyse and compare the
fatty acids and some mineral components of the pedal

CONTACT Demet Kocatepe demetkocatepe@hotmail.com Department of Fish Processing Technology, Fisheries Faculty, Sinop University, Sinop,
Turkey
© 2019 The Malacological Society of Australasia and the Society for the Study of Molluscan Diversity

Published online 18 Jun 2019

2 M. Y. ÇELIK ET AL.

mass (head and mantle edge) and the visceral mass column (100 m × 0.25 mmID × 0.2 mm film thickness).
(digestive gland, gonad, albumen gland, genital ducts, Helium was used as a carrier gas. The injected sample
kidney and heart) in wild and farmed snails, C. aspersum. was 1 µl with a split ratio of 1:99; temperature was
250°C. The oven temperature was held at 165°C for
10 min, then increased 1°C/min to 175°C, and 5°C/
Materials and methods min to 220°C. Temperature was then held for 10 min
The study was conducted on land snails, C. aspersum in at 220°C. A FAME mix (Supelco, 37 comp., Bellefonte,
Sinop (Black Sea region, Turkey). One hundred snails PA, USA) was used to provide standards for compari-
with an average weight of 7.82 ± 0.29 g and shell height son. Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spec-
31.51 ± 0.47 cm, were harvested from the wild in central trometer (ICP-OES, Wyndmoor, PA, USA) (8000DV) was
Sinop in May 2015 and another hundred snails were used for analysis of Ca, P, Fe, Zn and Se. The snail
obtained from a farm. These had an average length of samples were diluted 1:1 with 0.2% (v/v) HNO3 and
8.37 cm ± 0.24 cm and weight of 32.09 ± 0.32 g. The centrifuged for 20 min at 2000rpm. The appropriate
snails had been hatched at the pilot farm project standards for each element were made within the con-
funded by TUBITAK and grown in the greenhouse until centration range of the elements in the samples. The
they reached market size. They were fed with prepared results were obtained from triplicate measurements.
diet (Table 1) and also fed ad libitum with old cabbage
(Brassica oleracea acephala) planted in the farm area. Statistical analyses
The old cabbage contains 0.52 mg.100 g−1 phosphorus,
2.61 mg.100 g−1 calcium, 12.19 mg.100 g−1 iron and The data were expressed as the mean ± standard error
2.08 mg.100 g−1 zinc (Acikgoz 2011). and tested for homogeneity of variances at a significance
Snails were starved for 24 h and then frozen before level of P < 0.05. One-way ANOVA was used for compari-
their tissue was separated from shells. Analyses were son of mean values of the groups. Statistical analyses
performed using the whole body (without shell) separ- were carried out using the software programme
ating the pedal mass (with the head and mantle edge) MINITAB 17 (Minitab Inc., State College, PA, USA).
and the visceral mass (with the digestive gland, gonad
albumen gland, genital ducts, kidney and heart) for wild Results
and farmed snails. The total wet meat weights of the
pedal and visceral masses were 240.42 and 188.58 g The percentage of the whole body in the visceral mass
for 100 farmed snails and 225.30 and 238.67 g for 100 was 51.28% ± 0.32% in wild snails and 55.72% ± 0.32%
wild snails, respectively. The samples of visceral mass in farmed snails. The crude lipid contents of the visceral
(WV) and pedal mass (WP) of wild snails and visceral mass of wild snails (WV), the pedal mass of wild snails
mass (FV) and pedal mass (FP) of farmed snails were (WP), the visceral mass of farmed snails (FV) and the
dried before analyses, according to AOAC (1990). pedal mass of farmed snails (FP) were: 14.61%, 7.05%,
27.32% and 15.89%, respectively. In total, we searched
for 37 types of fatty acids from C4:0 to C22:6n-3 and
Fatty acid and mineral matter analysis 29 types of acids were detected in snails or in their
For fatty acid analysis, total lipids were extracted from diet, including 15 types of SFAs, six types of MUFAs
the pooled samples using a chloroform–methanol sol- and eight types of PUFAs (Figure 1). Maximum SFA con-
ution (2:1). The fatty acid composition was determined tents were detected in WV, whereas the maximum
according to the method described in the European MUFA levels were detected in FV. The PUFAs of wild
Union Commission Regulation EEC/2568/91 and its snails ranged from 47.28% to 48.90% of total fatty
subsequent modifications Annex X.A, B (REG. EEC/ acids and these values were considerably higher than
2568, 1991), using a gas chromatography system those of the other group (P < 0.05) (Table 2).
(AGILENT) equipped with fused HP88 capillary The fatty acid compositions of the wild and farmed
snails were different to each other, with the fatty acid
composition of farmed snails apparently being
Table 1. Ingredients and biochemical composition of diet. related to the fatty acid contents of the diet.
Biochemical composition of diet (dry
Ingredient Rate weight)
Soybean flour 16% Protein 33.33% Saturated fatty acids
Corn gluten 11% Lipid 3.85%
Wheat flour 28% Carbohydrate 22.26% Palmitic acid (C16:0) and stearic acid (C18:0) were the
Canola oil 3% Ash 40.56%
Dicalcium phosphate 5% Moisture 3.85% most abundant SFAs. As a percentage of the SFAs, pal-
Pectin 1% Calcium (Ca) 134.25 (mg/100 g) mitic acid was 36.58%, 24.00%, 44.46%, 21.56% and
Limestone 33% Phosphorus (P) 1286 (mg/100 g)
Sodium chloride 0.5% Iron (Fe) 20.345 (mg/100 g) 65.2% in WV, WP, FV and FP, respectively (P < 0.05).
Vitamin premix 1.5% Zinc (Zn) 3.376 (mg/100 g) Farmed samples had lower C16:0 amounts than wild
Mineral premix 1% Selenium (Se) 0.024 (mg/100 g)
snails. Stearic acid was also abundant, comprising
 MOLLUSCAN RESEARCH 3

Figure 1. Comparison of total fatty acid composition in wild and farmed H. aspersa and diet (WV: Visceral mass of wild snail; WP:
Pedal mass of wild snail; FV: Visceral mass of farmed snail; FP: Pedal mass of farmed snail).

Table 2. Fatty acid composition (%) in the visceral and pedal mass of wild and farmed Cornu aspersum and their diet (WV: Visceral
mass of wild snail; WP: Pedal mass of wild snail; FV: Visceral mass of farmed snail; FP: Pedal mass of farmed snail).
Wild Farmed Diet
Fatty ACIDS WV WP FV FP
SFA
Butyric acid C4:0 0.01 ± 0.0a 0.01 ± 0.0a 0.01 ± 0.0a 0.01 ± 0.0a 0.00 ± 0.0b
Caproic acid C6:0 0.13 ± 0.0a 0.04 ± 0.0b 0.14 ± 0.0a 0.02 ± 0.0b 0.02 ± 0.0b
Caprylic acid C8:0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Capric acid C10:0 0.04 ± 0.0a 0.02 ± 0.0ab 0.02 ± 0.0ab 0.00 ± 0.0b 0.02 ± 0.0b
Undecanoic acid C11:0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Lauric acid C12:0 0.33 ± 0.1a 0.06 ± 0.0c 0.12 ± 0.0b 0.04 ± 0.0c 0.01 ± 0.0cd
Tridecanoic acid C13:0 0.04 ± 0.0a 0.02 ± 0.1b 0.02 ± 0.0b 0.01 ± 0.0bc 0.00 ± 0.0c
Myristic acid C14:0 1.1 ± 0.0a 0.59 ± 0.1bc 0.75 ± 0.0b 0.46 ± 0.0c 0.08 ± 0.0d
Pentadecanoic acid C15:0 0.55 ± 0.01a 0.18 ± 0.01c 0.33 ± 0.01b 0.13 ± 0.0c 0.03 ± 0.0d
Palmitic acid C16.0 11.54 ± 0.03a 6.48 ± 0.08d 10.44 ± 0.0b 5.48 ± 0.01e 9.05 ± 0.01c
Heptadecanoic acid C17:0 1.58 ± 0.02a 1.39 ± 0.03b 0.88 ± 0.0d 1.09 ± 0.0c 0.08 ± 0.0e
Stearic acid C18:0 12.65 ± 0.0c 16.51 ± 0.01a 8.11 ± 0.0d 16.11 ± 0.0b 2.77 ± 0.0e
Arachidic acid C20:0 0.87 ± 0.0b 0.56 ± 0.01d 0.65 ± 0.0c 0.55 ± 0.01d 0.97 ± 0.01a
Heneicosanoic acid C21:0 0.21 ± 0.0a 0.05 ± 0.0c 0.14 ± 0.01b 0.04 ± 0.0c 0.02 ± 0.01c
Behenic acid C22:0 0.51 ± 0.0a 0.13 ± 0.01c 0.39 ± 0.0b 0.15 ± 0.0c 0.53 ± 0.0a
Tricosanoic acid C23:0 1.46 ± 0.0a 0.92 ± 0.4d 1.09 ± 0.01c 1.28 ± 0.02b 0.07 ± 0.01e
Lignoceric acid C24:0 0.55 ± 0.01a 0.07 ± 0.01d 0.42 ± 0.01b 0.09 ± 0.0d 0.26 ± 0.01c
MUFA Myristoleic acid C14:1 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Pentadecanoic acid C15:1 cis-10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Palmitoleic acid C16.1 0.34 ± 0.01a 0.13 ± 0.0c 0.29 ± 0.01ab 0.04 ± 0.0d 0.24 ± 0.0b
Heptadecanoic acid C17:1 cis-10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Oleic acid C18:1n9c 14.46 ± 0.1d 13.6 ± 0.23d 45.31 ± 0.03b 16.12 ± 0.0c 59.97 ± 0.02a
Elaidic acid C18:1n9t 0.5 ± 0.01a 0.41 ± 0.02ab 0.21 ± 0.01cd 0.29 ± 0.01bc 0.13 ± 0.01d
Gadoleic acid 20:1n-11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Eicosenoic acid C20:1n-9 0.00 ± 0.0e 1.52 ± 0.02c 2.37 ± 0.02b 1.33 ± 0.0d 4.01 ± 0.01a
Erucic acid C22:1n9 0.8 ± 0.01b 1.01 ± 0.07b 0.12 ± 0.0c 13.16 ± 0.1a 0.00 ± 0.0c
Nervonic acid C24:1 4.75 ± 0.2b 6.47 ± 0.21a 1.13 ± 0.02c 5.58 ± 0.01ab 0.18 ± 0.01c
PUFA Linoleadic acid C18:2n6t 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Linoleic acid C18:2n6c 16.15 ± 0.01d 18.60 ± 0.1c 18.40 ± 0.0c 19.66 ± 0.02b 19.99 ± 0.01a
α-Linolenic acid C18:3n3 0.74 ± 0.0a 0.83 ± 0.0d 1.30 ± 0.01b 0.99 ± 0.0c 1.45 ± 0.0a
γ-Linolenic acid C18:3n6 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Eicosadienoic acid C20:2 8.38 ± 0.0c 11.20 ± 0.2b 3.41 ± 0.0d 11.93 ± 0.02a 0.07 ± 0.0e
cis 11.14
Docosadienoic acid C22:2 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
cis 13.16
a b c d
Eicosatrienoic acid C20:3n3 17.72 ± 0.04 13.37 ± 0.3 2.87 ± 0.02 0.71 ± 0.1 0.00 ± 0.0d
cis 11.14.17
Eicosatrienoic acid C20:3n6 2.49 ± 0.0a 1.36 ± 0.0b 0.68 ± 0.0d 1.31 ± 0.01c 0.00 ± 0.0e
cis-8.11.14
Arachidonic acid C20:4n6 0.62 ± 0.0a 0.4 ± 0.02b 0.19 ± 0.0d 0.3 ± 0.01c 0.00 ± 0.0e
Eicosapentanoic acid C20:5n3 1.05 ± 0.02b 3.11 ± 0.1a 0.27 ± 0.02c 3.09 ± 0.0a 0.00 ± 0.0c
Docosahexanoic acid C22:6n3 0.15 ± 0.02a 0.05 ± 0.0b 0.07 ± 0.0b 0.04 ± 0.0b 0.08 ± 0.0ab
PUFA 47.28 ± 0.1a 48.90 ± 0.6a 27.16 ± 0.02c 38.03 ± 0.1b 21.58 ± 0.02d
SFA 31.54 ± 0.02a 26.99 ± 0.1b 23.48 ± 0.03d 25.42 ± 0.03c 13.88 ± 0.01e
MUFA 20.85 ± 0.1e 23.13 ± 0.1d 49.4 ± 0.01b 36.51 ± 0.1c 64.52 ± 0.01a
TOTAL 99.66 ± 0.2 99.01 ± 0.7 100.03 ± 0.0 99.96 ± 0.02 99.98 ± 0.01
Undefined 0.34 ± 0.2 0.99 ± 0.7 −0.03 ± 0.02 0.04 ± 0.02 0.02 ± 0.01
n-3 19.65 ± 0.1a 17.35 ± 0.4b 4.49 ± 0.01c 4.83 ± 0.1c 1.53 ± 0.01d
n-6 19.25 ± 0.01d 20.36 ± 0.1b 19.26 ± 0.01d 21.27 ± 0.04a 19.99 ± 0.01c
n-3/n-6 1.02 ± 0.0a 0.85 ± 0.01b 0.23 ± 0.0c 0.23 ± 0.0c 0.08 ± 0.0d
PUFA/SFA 1.50 1.81 1.16 1.50 1.55
Notes: Different superscripts in the same line are significantly different (P < 0.05).
4 M. Y. ÇELIK ET AL.
40.00%, 61.00%, 34.54% and 63.38% of the SFA content
in WV, WP, FV, FP respectively (P < 0.05).
Monounsaturated fatty acids
In all snail groups, the MUFA found at the highest level
was oleic acid (C18:1n9c); 69.35% in WV, 58.88% in WP,
91.72% in FV and 44.15% in FP of total MUFAs. The
second most abundant MUFA was nervonic acid
(C24:1, n-9).
Polyunsaturated fatty acid
Linoleic acid was the most abundant PUFA comprising
34.00%, 38.00%, 67.75% and 51.70% of total PUFAs in
WV, WP, FV and FP, respectively. Eicosadienoic acid
was highest in FP (11.93%) (P < 0.05). Important long-
chain FAs such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA,
C20:5n3), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n-3), and
arachidonic acid (ARA, C20:4n-6) were found at signifi-
cant levels. The highest levels of DHA were in WV,
whereas farmed snails had lower levels and these
were not significantly different from WP (P > 0.05).
The total n-6 PUFAs in the visceral mass of wild and
farmed snails were similar (P > 0.05). The maximum
percentages of n-6 PUFAs were detected in the pedal
mass of farmed snails (FP) (P < 0.05).
Mineral composition
Ca was the most abundant mineral, followed by P in
both types of snails. The pedal mass of farmed and
wild snails had higher Ca content than visceral parts.
The observed amounts of Ca relative to P were 1.76
in WV, 1.12 in FV and 3.87 in FP, respectively. WV con-
tained 2.74, 2.31, 1.72 and 1.09 times higher Zn, Fe, Ca
and P than FV while WP contained 1.14, 2.94, 1.95 and
1.22 times higher Zn, Fe, Ca and P than FP, respectively.
Se was 1.6 and 2.82 times higher in FV and FP than WV
and WP, respectively (Table 3).
Discussion
Saturated fatty acids (SFA)
In the present study, the amounts of SFAs were lower
than the amounts of unsaturated fatty acids in both
Table 3. Mineral composition of wild visceral meat (WV), wild pedal meat (WP), farmed visceral meat (FV) and farmed pedal meat
(FP) (mg/100 g).
Wild
Mineral matter WV
Calcium (Ca) 2708 ± 0.90b
Phosphor (P) 1542 ± 0.00a
Iron (Fe) 35.03 ± 3.60a
Zinc (Zn) 26.78 ± 1.95a
Selenium (Se) 0.03 ± 0.01c
Notes: Different superscripts in the same line are significantly different (P < 0.05).
the pedal mass and the visceral mass of wild and
farmed snails. Çağıltay et al. (2011) reported similar
results to the present study, finding that stearic acid
and palmitic acid were dominant fatty acids in the
snails. These were are also the most abundant fatty
acids in the diet.
Monounsaturated fatty acids
MUFA contents of 21.70% and 21.2% were found in the
pedal mass of Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 and Cornu
aspersa ‘maximum’ (Ekin and Şeşen 2017). In the
present study, the amount of MUFAs in farmed snails
was higher than in previous studies. Szkucik et al.
(2018) reported the MUFA content of raw meat of
farmed C. aspersum as 23.89%. Oleic acid was a domi-
nant fatty acid in the diet (enriched canola oil)
(59.97%) so that a higher value of oleic acid in
farmed snail was obtained than in the wild snails,
especially in the visceral mass (45.31%) (P < 0.05).
The farmed snails mostly preferred old cabbage
until the leaves hardened and only then did they start-
consuming other food. It is well known that plants
belonging to the same family as old cabbage (Brassica-
ceae) have high erucic acid content (Mackenzie et al.
1997; Cacciola et al. 2016). Overall, 94% of the total
fatty acids in old cabbage were unsaturated, represent-
ing more than 50% of the fatty acid composition, fol-
lowed by the essential FAs, linoleic and linolenic acid
(Khan et al. 1985; El-Beltagi et al. 2010; Cacciola et al.
2016). On the other hand, the canola oil used in the
snail diet had zero percent erucic acid. Canola oil is
obtained from a genetically modified rapeseed plant
(a yellow-flowering plant in the Brassicacea family)
with reduced erucic acid content (Booth and Gunstone
2004). In the present study, a high erucic acid value was
obtained in FP (36% of MUFAs) while it was only 0.24%
of MUFAs in FV, the higher level presumably due to the
consumption of old cabbage. Otherwise, it would be
difficult to understand why the erucic acid rate was
so high in FP when the lipid value in FP was lower
than FV. Erucic acid is a MUFA with human health inter-
est: the Australian Food Standards (Food Standards
Australia New Zealand 2003) established the provi-
sional tolerable daily intake of erucic acid as 500 mg/
day due to negative effects (albeit at much higher
doses) on the heart muscle of nursing pigs. We found
Farmed
WP FV FP
4340 ± 1.80a 1574 ± 0.00d 2215 ± 0.00c
696.5 ± 0.00c 1411 ± 0.00b 573 ± 0.00d
16.97 ± 2.80b 15.15 ± 0.00c 5.76 ± 0.00d
4.39 ± 0.04c 9.75 ± 0.00b 3.84 ± 0.00d
0.01 ± 0.01d 0.04 ± 0.00a 0.031 ± 0.00b

that the pedal mass of farmed snails of 100 g contains
360 mg of erucic acid. This is an important result
because many consultants, educators and books on
farming advise feeding snails with Brassica spp. and
these plants are used in commercial snail farming.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids
PUFAs have an important part in human nutrition due
to their various functional properties. PUFAs prevent or
reduce human coronary artery disease, decrease total
cholesterol and HDL levels, improve endothelial func-
tions and reduce cancer risks (Emsley et al. 2008;
Schiano et al. 2008; Kaur et al. 2009; Shannon et al.
2010; Amano et al. 2011). The PUFAs in raw meat of
wild C. aspersum was reported as 46.65% (Szkucik
et al. 2018) which is similar to the values in wild
snails here and somewhat higher than the present
results for farmed snails. It can be said that wild snails
are an important source of the essential n-3 PUFAs.
The maximum level of these was detected in WV (P <
0.05). The n-3 PUFA content of farmed groups was
lower than in wild snails. Our results showed that the
contents of n-3 PUFA were 19.65% in WV and 17.35%
in WP (P < 0.05). The observed significant differences
of n-3 values between wild and farmed snails may be
related to the feed source.
Milinsk et al. (2003) found that the linolenic acid
content (18: 3n-3) of C. aspersum ‘maximum’ was
highest when fed with a flaxseed diet. In our study,
the diet contents were enriched with canola oil. The
high oleic acid and linoleic acid content of canola oil
explain the richer content of these fatty acids in
farmed snails compared to wild snails.
The oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid con-
tents in the feedstuff fed to the farmed snails were
found to be 59.97, 19.99 and 1.45%, respectively. The
fatty acid composition of FP and FV was generally
influenced by the fatty acid composition of the diet.
In particular oleic acid, which has the highest pro-
portion of the fatty acid composition of the diet, was
found to accumulate more in FP and FV than in WP
and WV.
In the present study, the lowest n-3:n-6 fatty acid
ratio was detected in farmed groups (P > 0.05) and
the highest ratio was in the visceral mass of wild snail
(WV). Cornu aspersum ‘maximum’, which was fed with
six different vegetable oils in cultured conditions, was
found to have a n-3/n-6 fatty acid ratio of 0.3:1 (Cagiltay
et al. 2011), higher than the range from 0.1:1–0.2:1 in an
earlier study of this snail (Milinsk et al. 2003). The ratio
in Helix pomatia Linnaeus, 1758 was 0.2:1 (Özoğul et al.
2005) The n-3:n-6 ratios of the meat and visceral mass
of C. aspersum ‘maximum’ were found to be 1.56:1 and
1.82:1 by Luo et al. (2017). In our study, n-3:n-6 ratio in
WP and FP were calculated as 0.85:1 and 0.23:1,
respectively. The ratio for FP found here was similar
MOLLUSCAN RESEARCH 5
to previous studies. These results suggest that for nutri-
tion purposes, snail species have a balanced and
healthy fat composition.
Some essential fatty acids cannot be synthesised in
the human body. These include n-3 PUFA α-linolenic
acid and n-6 PUFA linoleic acid (Lunn and Theobald
2006). It has been reported by various studies that
the consumption of PUFAs reduce the level of blood
cholesterol. In a healthy person, the ratio of PUFAs to
SFAs should be about 1:1, which can be regulated by
the consumption of foods with a PUFAs:SFAs ratio of
about this value. The ratio can be increased by increas-
ing the amount of unsaturated fatty acids in the diet.
For those whose metabolism is impaired, this value
should be around 1.4-1.8 (Demirci 2003). In our study,
the ratio of P to S in internal organs and foot + head
parts of snails was 1.16:1 and 1.5:1 in farmed snails
and 1.5:1 and 1.8:1 in wild snails, respectively. Snails
can thus be considered as a healthy food in respect
of the P:S ratio.
The EPA and DHA content of wild and farmed snails
consumed as a whole were 4.81 and 3.47 g/100 g,
respectively. When the distribution of EPA + DHA to
snail content was examined, it was found that a large
proportion was present in the foot and head.
Mineral composition
Compared to other studies, we found significantly high
Ca content in all body parts (Ademolu et al. 2004;
Özoğul et al. 2005; Cagiltay et al. 2011). The reason
for the high concentration of Ca in both wild and
farmed snails could be the lime soil and waters of
Sinop. The ratio of calcium to phosphorus (Ca:P) is an
important indicator of the suitability of snails as a
calcium source in relation to the ratio of 2:1 which is
similar to that in human bones (Logesh et al. 2012).
Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for cell structure,
signalling, energy transfer and other important func-
tions (Chang and Anderson 2017). All mineral concen-
trations except Ca were higher in the visceral than
the pedal mass. Many studies confirm that the visceral
mass of molluscs is a storage site of minerals (Owen
1966; Coughtrey and Martin 1976). Gomot (1998)
found a slightly higher concentration of Fe, Zn, and P
in the visceral and pedal mass of Helix aspersa (= C.
aspersum) than in our results, while in our study Ca con-
centration in all body parts was clearly higher. Snails
are known to accumulate 10 times more calcium
than other kinds of meat and their foot muscles are
rich in iron and contain zinc in amounts comparable
with other meats (Gomot 1998).
According to the present study, wild snails had a
higher concentration of Fe and Zn than farmed snails.
These results could be explained by assuming that
wild snails are exposed to different environmental con-
ditions and feed on more various food types. Grigorakis
6 M. Y. ÇELIK ET AL.
(2007) has suggested two possible explanations for the
higher concentrations of trace elements in wild than in
farmed snails. First, their natural environment is richer
in these elements. Secondly, the farmed snails, being
richer in fats, may have a lower affinity for metals.
Notably, although the concentrations of most minerals
were higher in the wild snails, that of Se was lower in all
body parts of wild snails than in farmed snails.
In conclusion, C. aspersum offer significant mineral
sources, although these are affected by the feed
content and geographical situation –– for example, Ca
content is high in wild snails from Sinop because of
local soil and water structure. Both wild and farmed
snails have high oleic acid, linoleic acid and omega 3
fatty acids (especially EPA + DHA) contents. Snails can
be considered as a healthy meat source in regard to
the ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids.
Acknowledgements
We thank to the The Scientific and Technological Research
Council of Turkey (TUBITAK).
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This work was supported by 7 / 10 Sinop University Scientific
Research Coordination Unit. Project Number: SÜF-1901-16-
30, 2017.
ORCID
Meryem Yeşim Çelik http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6270-915X
Mehmet Bedrettin Duman http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5212-
4502
Merve Sariipek http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8690-8962
Gülşen Uzun Gören http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9109-2921
Dilara Kaya Öztürk http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2505-231X
Demet Kocatepe http://orcid.org/0000 0002 9234 1907
Sedat Karayücel http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3874-1010
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