Health and sustainability: The nutritional value of snail meat

Mihail Garkov¹*, Kremena Nikovska¹

¹University of Food Technologies, Department of Tourism and Culinary Management, 26, Maritsa Blvd., 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria

ARTICLE INFO	ABSTRACT
TYPE: Original scientific paper https://doi.org/10.17508/CJFST.2024.16.2.05 PDF	The increasing popularity of snail meat prompts research of the nutritional benefits of consuming Helix aspersa maxima cultivated in Bulgaria. With a high protein content and remarkably low fat content, snail meat is well-suited for the inclusion in healthy culinary recipes. Daily consumption of snails meat, which is notably rich in iron, manganese, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium, proves to be a valuable source of essential minerals. The fatty acid profile of Helix aspersa maxima is characterized by the diverse range of polyunsaturated fatty acids, with linoleic acid and arachidonic acid being the most abundant. The amino acid profile of the snail meat is characterized by significant levels of essential amino acids, with leucine, lysine and threonine contributing to protein synthesis, immune function, and tissue repair, respectively. The presence of large quantities of flavour-enhancing amino acids, such as glutamic acid and aspartic acid along with glycine, arginine, and proline, suggests a rich umami taste and supports collagen formation, and structural integrity.
*CORRESPONDENCE Mihail Garkov m_garkov@uft-plovdiv.bg
ARTICLE HISTORY Received: August 1, 2024 Accepted: November 6, 2024
CITATION Garkov M, Nikovska, K. Health and sustainability: The nutritional value of snail meat. Croatian Journal of Food Science and Technology (2024) 16 (2) 236 – 245
COPYRIGHT: © 2024 by the author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).
	KEYWORDS snail meat; proximate composition; mineral content; fatty acids; amino acids
	KEY CONTRIBUTION High protein content – 14.6%, combined with very low-fat percentage – 1.40%. Abundant essential minerals, with very levels of Ca and P. High concentrations of glutamic and aspartic acids contribute to its umami taste. Snail meat exhibits a fatty acid profile comparable to the one of salmon.