Nutritional Value of the Egyptian Freshwater Bivalve Spathopsis rubens arcuata Under the Effect of Depuration

On the view of finding a new source of protein, Spathopsis rubens arcuata is one of fresh water bivalves inhabiting Nile River, Egypt. The quality of this clam as a human food was investigated. The herein results showed that S. rubens arcuata is a good source of protein, carbohydrate and with a negligible source of fat when compared with edible fishes. Myristic acid was the most abundant saturated fatty acid (SFA) while Myristoleic acid and Linoleic acid were the two most abundant unsaturated fatty acids. The nonessential amino acid Glutamine is the most dominant amino acid followed by Aspartic, Alanine and Leucine. Studying the safety of consuming the investigated clam was based on: 1) Studying the heavy metal content in relation to the environment and after a depuration period, 2) Studying the associated parasites. The results showed that the initial heavy metals (Cu, Cd and Pb) concentrations detected in soft tissues of the clam were high and exceeded the legal values. But the 8 days of depuration was an excellent strategy to reduce Cu, Cd and Pb to an acceptable level for human consumption. Seasonal study of the clam associated parasite showed that S. rubens arcuata harbors nonpathogenic ciliated protozoa Conchophthirus sp. and an annelid Batracobdelloides tricarinata as commensal organisms and a trematode Aspidogaster conchicola as a parasite. The present work concludes that S. rubens arcuata can be a good source of food for human on condition that arises in the market after a period of depuration reached to 8 days.