BIOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF HELIX SNAILS: INFLUENCE OF GENETIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS

This paper describes the biochemical composition of different species (Helix lucorum, Helix pomatia) and sub-species of snails (Helix aspersa aspersa, Helix aspersa maxima) reared in the same conditions with a feed (‘Helixal’) specially designed for edible snails. In addition, the composition of wild H. pomatia and H. lucorum is presented to allow comparison between snails of different origins. Analyses determined the percentages of proteins, lipids and minerals. They reveal both similarities and differences in composition according to the species and the part analysed (whole body, pedal mass, and visceral mass). H. pomatia contains the highest percentage of mineral matter and the lowest percentage of lipids. Surprisingly, protein contents are slightly different between artificially reared H. aspersa maxima of 3 months old and wild H. pomatia. The results make it possible to evaluate nutritional quality of snails with the composition of the body of four edible snail species.