Nutritional Qualities of the Low-Value Bivalve Mollusks Paphia malabarica and Villorita cyprinoides at the Estuarine Waters of the Southwestern Coast of India

ABSTRACT

The bivalve mollusks Paphia malabarica and Villorita cyprinoides collected from the estuarine system located in the southwest coastal waters of India were evaluated for their nutritional composition. A balanced essential to nonessential amino acid ratio (> 1.0) with a greater quantity of sulfur-containing amino acids in these species demonstrated that they could provide well-balanced protein depositions. The n-3/n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio in P. malabarica was found to be greater than 2, and, therefore, can be considered as a healthy diet. The C₂₀–C₂₂ long-chain polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids (for example, docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid) accounted for more than 23% of the total fatty acid content in P. malabarica as compared to about 7% in V. cyprinoides. P. malabarica showed greater hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio (1.7) and lesser atherogenicity (0.7), thrombogenicity (0.3) indices when contrasted with those in V. cyprinoides, thereby indicating the nutritional superiority of the former. A greater content of vitamin D₃ (> 150 IU), along with significant quantities of calcium and phosphorus (> 500 mg/100 g) in the clams, signified their importance in preventing osteoporosis. This study demonstrated the importance of bivalves, in particular, P. malabarica as a valued species for human consumption.

KEYWORDS:

• Paphia malabarica
• Villorita cyprinoides
• C₂₀–C₂₂ n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
• amino acids
• atherogenicity index
• thrombogenicity index
• hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in New Delhi for providing the necessary facilities to carry out the work. The authors thank the Director of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute for his guidance and support. Thanks are due to the Head of the Marine Biotechnology Division at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute for facilitating the research activity.

Funding

This work is supported by the funding under the ICAR Outreach Activity-3 on “Nutrient Profiling of Fish as a Food for Health and Dietary Component” from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in New Delhi, India.

Submission declaration

The authors vouch that the work has not been published elsewhere, either completely, in part, or in any other form and that the manuscript has not been submitted to another journal, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere without the written consent of the copyright-holder. The submitting author certifies that all coauthors have seen a draft copy of the manuscript and agree to its publication. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest including any financial, personal, or other relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence, or be perceived to influence, the present work.

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by the funding under the ICAR Outreach Activity-3 on “Nutrient Profiling of Fish as a Food for Health and Dietary Component” from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in New Delhi, India.