Evaluation of Physiological Indices of Giant African Land Snail (Achatina achatina) from Niger Delta Regions of Nigeria

Background and Objective: Prevailing climatic conditions of a given region affect the physiological and biochemical adjustment in snails. Numerous researches have been published on physiological parameters of commonly eaten Achatina achatina from different ecological zones in Northcentral and Western Nigeria. There is a paucity of updated information on the physiological indices of giant African land snails in Niger Delta regions of Nigeria. This research was aimed at evaluating the physiological indices of a commonly eaten giant African land snail (Achatina achatina) from 5 different ecological zones in Niger Delta regions of Nigeria. Materials and Methods: The 25 matured snails were purchased from farmers returning from the forests in Akwa Ibom, Abia, Bayelsa, Rivers and Cross River States, respectively for this study. The snails were transferred to the biochemistry laboratory for physiological analyses. Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance using SPSS version 16.0 and least significant difference test was used to separate the means. Significance level was set at 5%. Results: Snails from Rivers State had higher significant (p<0.05) concentrations of protein (52.13±0.03), glucose (33.01±0.20) and lipid (20.80±0.04), respectively in their hemolymph than those recorded for other locations. The concentration of protein was higher than other metabolites in both hemolymph and the flesh of Achatina achatina across the 5 States. Achatina achatina snails obtained from Akwa Ibom state recorded higher and significant (p<0.05) values of dry matter (24.05±0.03), ash (1.84±0.02), crude fibre (1.02±0.01), fat (2.02±0.01), carbohydrate (1.09±0.02) and crude protein (22.20±0.04), respectively than those from other States of Niger Delta Region in Nigeria. No significant (p>0.05) difference was observed in Mg²⁺, PO₄²⁺ and Cl‾ across the 5 states. Conclusion: Locations that have effects on chemical composition of the hemolymph have been observed, but no substantial differences were recorded in the nutritional composition of Achatina achatina snails across the 5 Niger Delta States in Nigeria.