Comparative studies on biochemical analysis of some economically important marine gastropods along Gulf of Mannar region,southeast coast of India

Objective:To signify the economic importance of molluscan-gastropod food by estimating its biochemical composition.Methods:Samples were collected from the trawl net bycatch at the fish landing center of Mandapam coast of the Gulf of Mannar region.The total protein,carbohydrate,lipid,ash and moisture contents were estimated from nine gastropods i.e.Phalium glaucum,Tonna dolium,Hemifusus pugilinus,Babylonia spirata,Xancus pyrum,Chicoreus ramosus,Harpa articularis,Ficus ficus and Babylonia zeylanica.Results:The percentages of protein(41.2%),carbohydrate(17.5%)and lipid(6.6%)contents were found highest in Babylonia spirata,followed by other gastropods.The maximum ash content was observed in Chicoreus ramosus(1.21%)and the maximum moisture content was observed in Phalium glaucum(83.71%).Conclusions:The results show that all the nine gastropods contain good sources of protein and other biochemical constituents and can be used for edible purposes to prevent starvation.