Proximate, Vitamin and Antinutritional Content of Fresh and Roasted Tympanotonus fuscatus Harvested from Bundu Creek, Rivers State, Nigeria

fuscatus (periwinkle) is an invertebrate of the gastropoda class, dominantly found in brackish waters of tropical and subtropical regions. This study compared the nutritional and anti-nutritional content of T. fuscatus from Bundu Creek, and the impact of processing on its nutritional and anti-nutritional parameters. Fresh and roasted T. fuscatus samples were purchased from fishermen at Bundu Creek Port-Harcourt, Rivers State. Fresh T. fuscatus were deshelled using a clean plier and fleshy portion was collected and washed with distilled water whereas, roasted samples were placed in an oven at 106°C for 2hours. Both samples were homogenized using a preheated mortar and pestle which further proceeded for analysis. Proximate composition, anti-nutrients, minerals and vitamin contents were determined using standard analytical procedures. The percentage proximate composition showed that roasted periwinkles were significantly (p<0.05) higher in protein (58.57±0.29% -13.90±0.03%), lipid (5.50±0.00%- 2.26±0.03%), carbohydrates (11.64±0.09%-5.10±0.03%), ash (10.80±0.06%-5.73±0.03%) and crude fibre content (5.54±0.16%-2.84±0.08%) when compared with fresh samples which had an increased moisture content (7.94±0.04%-70.19±0.05%). The anti-nutritional component saponins was significantly (p<0.05) increased in roasted samples (15.28±0.01%-3.80±0.00%) when compared with fresh samples. There was no measurable trace of Cyanogenic glycosides in both states. The roasting process significantly (p<0.05) reduced the presence of oxalate, phytate and flavonoids. For mineral content, Zinc, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus were significantly (p<0.05) higher in roasted samples than Calcium. No significant difference was observed in vitamin content for the fresh and roasted samples. This research has shown that processing generally, helped to amplify the nutritional properties of T. fuscatus.