Ethno–Medicinal Importance of Viviparous Gastropod, Bellamya bengalensis (Lamarck, 1822) in terms of Estimation of its Proximate Protein and Amino acid Composition

Debajit Chakraborty; Madhumita Mukherjee; Joydev Maity

Volume : IV, Issue : I, January - 2015

Ethno–Medicinal Importance of Viviparous Gastropod, Bellamya bengalensis (Lamarck, 1822) in terms of Estimation of its Proximate Protein and Amino acid Composition

Debajit Chakraborty, Madhumita Mukherjee, Joydev Maity

Abstract :

People of North Eastern states of India, like West Bengal, Bihar, Nagaland, Mizoram etc depend on Bellamya bengalensis since an immemorial time being. For its not only easy availability and cheap rate, in terms of money but also it has great nutritional importance. Moreover, people are very conscious about its ethno-medicinal value. Analysis was made to study about its qualitative and quantitative composition of protein and amino acid. Using Kjeldahl technique and HPLC methodology protein and amino acids content were estimated, respectively. Beside the observation of rich source of digestible protein, all indispensable amino acids were isolated from the flesh of B. bengalensis, which ensured about the daily requirement for an adult human as per WHO�s guide line. As this fresh water snail contains enormous source of nutrition in terms of protein, so here it is needed to turn into commercial utilization of this snail for socio economical development.