Microbiological and Chemical Characteristics of Meat and Shucking Liquid Wastes of Freshwater Snail (Pila ovata)

Abstract

Freshwater snails (Pila ovata) obtained from local harvesters were aseptically shucked and eviscerated to obtain the shucking liquid waste and meat, respectively. The two samples were assessed for microbiological quality and nutrient composition. The mean total viable counts (TVCs) of the shucking liquid (4.6 x 10⁵ cfu ml^–1) was significantly (p = 0.05) higher than that of the meat (2.8 x 10³ cfu g^–1) sample. There were low fungal counts (< 10²cfu g^–1 or ml^–1) in both samples while the total coliform counts of the shucking liquid was 2.8 x 10² MPN 100ml^–1. The most prevalent bacteria isolated from both samples included Streptococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas sp, Klebsiella sp, Escherichia coli and Salmonella sp while one mould Penicillium digitatum occurred in both. However, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Bacillsus sp occurred only in the meat sample. The snail meat contained 75.00, 4.05 and 15.00mg/dl of protein, cholesterol and carbohydrate, respectively, while higher protein and lower carbohydrate levels were obtained in the shucking liquid. The calcium (14.60 mg/dl) and iron (148 μg/dl) contents of the shucking liquid were higher than that of the meat sample.

Key words: Freshwater snail, shucking liquid, microbiological,chemical, meat.

Nigerian Food Journal Vol.22 2004: 1-6