Food Value of Edible Molluscs of Eastern Nepal: the Lesser Utilized Food in Nepal

An exploratory survey of edible molluscs of selected Terai districts (Sunsari, Morang and Jhapa) of eastern Nepal was carried out. Food value was also determined by carrying out proximate analysis. The most widely consumed species were found to be Bellamya bengalensis f. typica (Lamarck, 1882), Lamellidens marginalis (Lamarck 1819) and Pila globosa (Swainsen, 1822) with annual sales averaging 29-42.5 MT, 2.5-3.1 MT and 0.95-1.55 MT, respectively. The sale of the latter two species was practically nil in Jhapa district. The mean nutrient levels (wet basis, standard deviation in parenthesis) of the three species were: moisture, 72(1.87)%; crude protein, 15.49(1.89)%; crude fat, 4.22(0.85)%; total ash, 5.62(1.76)%; calcium, 1668(364.79) mg/100 g; potassium, 1.66(1.43) mg/100 g; and sodium, 9.4(5.23) mg/100 g. The nutrient levels of the species differed significantly (P=0.05) and based on statistical analysis, Lamellidens and Pila can be considered superior to Bellamya. In general, the price of molluscan meat was found to be less than one-fifth the current (2008) price of conventional meat/fish.