Nutritional Facts of Mytella strigata Collected from Cochin Backwater, Kerala, India

Abstract

The present study investigates the nutritional facts of Mytella strigata collected from Cochin backwaters during the monsoon season. M. strigata is a non-native invasive mussel recently established in the estuaries and backwaters of Kerala. The samples of M. strigata were analyzed for the proximate composition, total carbohydrate, crude fibre, cholesterol content, fatty acid composition, amino acid profile, mineral and heavy metal content. The moisture, crude protein, ash, crude fat and carbohydrate contents were 84.13 ± 0.33, 10.40 ± 0.21, 1.7 ± 0.03, 1.7 ± 0.03, 4.48 ± 0.53 % respectively. The cholesterol content was high (117.35 ± 0.75 mg/100 g) whereas crude fibre content was 20 ± 0.01 mg/100 g. The saturated fatty acid content (41.67 %) observed was higher followed by the polyunsaturated fatty acids and the monounsaturated fatty acids. Among the saturated fatty acids, palmitic acid (C16:0) constituted the highest percentage. The obtained n3/n6 ratio of 1.48 indicates better nutritional quality with respect to polyunsaturated fatty acids. Glutamic acid, lysine and aspartic acid were the predominant amino acids in the species studied. The mineral and heavy metal content analysis revealed that the black mussel, M. strigata is a good source of minerals such as P, K and the concentrations of all the heavy metals studied were well below the acceptable limit indicating the safety of M. strigata for human consumption. The present study aimed to give an insight into the nutritional components of M. strigata, which will make it suitable for its exploitation. The information obtained will strengthen the database as the exploration of the nutritional quality of any resource will form the basis for its judicious exploitation and management in the future.