Anadara kagoshimensis (Tokunaga, 1906) is a promising subject for food processing facility in the Azov– Black Sea fishery basin

One of the most prospectively valuable bivalve molluscs of the Azov and Black Sea Fishery Basin is the ark clam Anadara kagoshimensis (Tokunaga, 1906), which biomass is around 23 million tons. This study is aimed at the comprehensive assessment of A. kagoshimensis with regard to the food safety criteria, its technological and chemical properties, and its nutritional value in order to identify possible options for its rational processing. It is shown that the ark clam is safe for human consumption based on the parameters regulated by the technical regulations TR CU 021/2011 “On the Safety of Food Products” and TR EAEU 040/2016 “On the Safety of Fish and Fish Products” for live bivalve molluscs. The protein content in the muscle tissue of the ark clam is around 11%. Amino acid scores of the essential amino acids, except for valine as a limiting amino acid, are indicative of high biological value of the protein and its possible application for enzymatic modification. The average lipid content in the ark clam is found to be 0.7%. In the lipid fraction, docosahexaenic and eicosapentaenoic polyunsaturated fatty acids prevail in the amount fulfilling their daily consumption quota. The essential macronutrients (potassium, manganese, calcium) and micronutrients (iron, chrome, cobalt) have also been found in high amounts.