Meat Yield and Biochemical Composition of Hatchery Reared Spotted Babylon, Babylonia areolata (Link 1807)

The meat yield and biochemical composition of hatchery reared spotted babylon, Babylonia areolata (Link 1807) was evaluated. The weight of the meat was approximately 30- 40% of the total body weight and no significant loss (p 0.05) in weight (2-4%) was observed after cooking. Proximate analysis of B. areolata showed that they were high in protein (22.4%) and low in fat (2.7%). The main fatty acids detected were C16:0 (15.9%), C18:1n9c (9.85%), C18:3n3 (6.71%) and C18:0 (5.99%). The total saturated fatty acid, mono unsaturated fatty acid and polyunsaturated fatty acid contents of lipids were 30.56%, 23.19% and 23.21%, respectively. Glutamic acid (3.01%) and aspartic acid (2.25%) were the most abundant non essential amino acids in B. areolata while leucine (1.53%) and lysine (1.32%) were the major essential amino acids detected. The main minerals found were potassium, phosphorous, sodium and zinc. Results from this study suggest that hatchery reared B. areolata could be considered a healthy food comprising of good sources of protein, amino acids, minerals and low in fat.