Proximate Composition and Mineral Profile of Snail Meat from Different Breeds of Land Snail in Nigeria

2 Abstract: Four different breeds of snail, Archachatina Marginata (AM), Achatina Achatina (AA), Achatina Fulica (AF) and Limicolaria species (LM) were analyzed for proximate composition and mineral profile of the snail flesh (foot or edible potion). Proximate analysis of the snail flesh revealed that moisture was highest in LM (84.91%) and least in AM (73.67%). The crude protein contents of the breeds were significantly different from one another (p AA>AF>LM. There was no detection of lead and mercury in any of the samples. The result of the study showed that the African giant land snail, Archachatina marginata, apart from having size advantage is the favoured breed based on its nutritional superiority.