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Tardugno R, Virga A, Nava V, Mannino F, Salvo A, Monaco F, Giorgianni M, Cicero N. Toxic and Potentially Toxic Mineral Elements of Edible Gastropods Land Snails (Mediterranean Escargot). TOXICS 2023; 11:317. [PMID: 37112544 PMCID: PMC10144157 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11040317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The meat of snails can be considered a high-quality food for the human diet and demand is already increasing across Europe. Due to the bioaccumulation of trace elements in their tissues, land snails can be a significant tool also for environmental pollution evaluation. In this study, 28 mineral elements (Ag, Al, As, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Li, Na, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, Ti, Tl, V, Zn) in both the edible part and the shell of edible land snails commercially available in Southern Italy belonging to Cernuella virgata, Helix aperta, Theba pisana species were investigated by ICP-MS and direct mercury analyser. The concentration of trace elements was variable among the samples. The variability demonstrates the close connection among the type of snail, the geographical origin, and the habitat in which the species grows. The edible part of the snails analysed in this study was found to be a good source of macro-nutrients. Toxic elements were detected in some samples, especially in shells; nevertheless, the values fell within the safety limits. Further investigations and monitoring of mineral contents in edible land snails are suggested both for human health and environmental pollution evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Tardugno
- Department of Pharmacy—Drug Sciences, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy
| | - Antonino Virga
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences, University of Palermo, 90121 Palermo, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Nava
- Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Image Sciences (BIOMORF), University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy
| | - Federica Mannino
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via C. Valeria, 98125 Messina, Italy
| | - Andrea Salvo
- Department of Chemistry and Drug Technology, University of Roma La Sapienza, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Francesco Monaco
- Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Image Sciences (BIOMORF), University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy
| | - Mario Giorgianni
- Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Image Sciences (BIOMORF), University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy
| | - Nicola Cicero
- Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Image Sciences (BIOMORF), University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy
- Science4life srl, University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy
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Carpenè E, Andreani G, Ferlizza E, Menotta S, Fedrizzi G, Isani G. Trace Elements in Home-Processed Food Obtained from Unconventional Animals. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:E75. [PMID: 32456182 PMCID: PMC7281459 DOI: 10.3390/life10050075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Wild animals have been used as food since ancient times and, currently, the consumption of unconventional animals is increasing worldwide. The process of cooking meat using traditional recipes includes a variety of ingredients, which can influence the total metal intake from the diet. In this study, the concentrations of eight essential (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Se, Ni, Mo, and Co) and six non-essential (Pb, Cd, Hg, Al, As, and Cr) trace elements were determined in home-processed food obtained from snails and from three common species of game animals (woodcock, pheasant, and hare), seasoned with anchovies, mushrooms, and different vegetables using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). In general, Fe was the most abundant trace element, ranging from 18 ± 8 µg/g in pheasant to 99 ± 76 µg/g in snail, and Co was the least abundant, ranging from 0.007 ± 0.003 µg/g in hare to 0.093 ± 0.048 µg/g in snail. Regarding the non-essential trace elements, Pb concentrations showed wide variations, reaching a concentration of 17.30 µg/g in hare, while Cd concentrations were higher in snail, ranging from 0.18 to 0.46 µg/g. These alternative food sources can offer an important contribution to the human nutritional requirements of essential trace elements, in particular of Fe. The high concentrations of Pb and Cd present in some samples should be considered as potentially dangerous for the consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio Carpenè
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, via Tolara di sopra 50, 40064 Ozzano Emilia (BO), Italy; (E.C.); (G.I.)
| | - Giulia Andreani
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, via Tolara di sopra 50, 40064 Ozzano Emilia (BO), Italy; (E.C.); (G.I.)
| | - Enea Ferlizza
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, via Belmeloro 8, 40126 Bologna, Italy;
| | - Simonetta Menotta
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna, Chemical Department, via P. Fiorini 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy; (S.M.); (G.F.)
| | - Giorgio Fedrizzi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna, Chemical Department, via P. Fiorini 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy; (S.M.); (G.F.)
| | - Gloria Isani
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, via Tolara di sopra 50, 40064 Ozzano Emilia (BO), Italy; (E.C.); (G.I.)
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