Influence of growth and reproductive cycle on the meat yield and proximate composition of Hexaplex trunculus (Gastropoda: Muricidae)

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the influence of growth and reproductive cycle on the meat yield and proximate composition of the banded murex (Hexaplex trunculus) from the Ria Formosa lagoon (Algarve coast, southern Portugal). Samples of the edible portion (all soft-body tissues) were analysed monthly during one year. The average meat yield was 37.9±4.6%, with females containing more edible content (39.1±4.7%) than males (36.8±4.2%). The proximate composition comprised 70.7±1.4% moisture, 20.1±1.2% protein, 1.6±0.3% fat, 3.0±0.3% ash, and 4.6±1.2% carbohydrate, corresponding to an energetic value of 119.2±7.5 kcal/100 g wet weight. The meat yield was influenced by specimen size, increasing significantly during growth. Both meat yield and proximate composition presented seasonal fluctuations related to the reproductive cycle, which coincided mainly with the periods of maturation and spawning of this species in the Ria Formosa. Finally, H. trunculus meat yield and proximate composition were compared with similar information available for other marine gastropods.