Nutritional Composition of Callista erycina, an Important Edible Economical Clam from the South China Sea

The purpose of this study was to assess the nutritional composition of clam Callista erycina from the South China Sea, and determine its edible value and prospects for aquaculture development. The proximate composition, amino acid composition, fatty acid content and mineral elemental constituents of the soft tissues of clam C. erycina were analyzed. The results showed that the percentage edibility (PE) and condition index (CI) of clam C. erycina were 22.45±3.00 and 95.51±13.34, respectively. The contents of protein, lipid, ash and moisture in the soft tissues (fresh sample) of the clam C. erycina were 13.84±0.27 g, 0.53±0.03 g, 2.56±0.11 g and 77.86±0.74 g per 100g, respectively. A total of 16 common amino acids were detected, including 9 essential amino acids and 4 umami taste amino acids, which accounted for 45.372 % and 42.881 % of the total amino acids. The amino acid score (AAS) of total essential amino acids were 134, and the first limiting amino acid was valine with 93 as AAS, which suggesting that the composition ratio of essential amino acids in soft tissues of clam C. erycina is in line with the FAO/WHO model. The clam C. erycina were rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (33.08±0.44 % of total fatty acid) with high levels of DHA (13.55±0.55 % of total fatty acid) and EPA (7.58±0.19 % of total fatty acid). Among the mineral elements, sodium (Na) and potassium (K) has the highest mass fraction, followed by phosphorus(P), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn). The results show that clam C. erycina are marine economic shellfish with high nutritional value and edible value, suggesting that the consumption increment and aquaculture activities of clam C. erycina should be encouraged.