Physicochemical Characteristics of Snail as Affected by Processing Methods, Temperatures and Storage Days

This study investigated the effect of processing methods, temperature and storage days on the physico-chemical characteristics of snail meat products. Four different treatments were carried out; unseasoned fried (USF), seasoned fried (SF), seasoned oven- dried (SOD) and seasoned smoke- dried (SSD) snail meat products and were stored under room, fridge and freezer storage conditions; physico-chemical determination and analysis of variance were carried out. The results showed that the highest crude protein was obtained in the seasoned smoke-dried product (76.87%), followed by seasoned oven-dried product (75.80%), next was seasoned fried (70.15%) and the least was unseasoned fried product (68.57%). The highest ash value was seen in seasoned smoke-dried product (4.84%), followed by seasoned oven-dried (4.313%) and the least was unseasoned-fried product (3.933%). The highest energy values were observed in the fried products (1497.67 KJ/100 g seasoned fried and 1490.53 KJ/100 g unseasoned-fried).The highest iron value (16.47 mg/100 g) obtained was from seasoned smoke-dried product. Seasoned smoke-dried product was significantly different from other products and it had the highest mineral content. Seasoned oven-dried snail meat product had the lowest pH values 6.0, 7.17 and 6.29 for 0-5 days, 10-20 days and 25- 30 days storage respectively. This was followed by seasoned smoke-dried product having 6.68, 7.81 and 6.56 at 0-5 days, 10-20 days and 25-30 days respectively. The observed low pH in seasoned products could be ascribed to the effect of the seasonings; this is an indication of better shelf stability. It was observed that the combine effect of seasonings, smoke-drying and cold storage help to extend the shelf life of snail meat.