Biological parameters, culture potential and nutritional quality of freshwater mussel Lamellidens marginalis (Lamarck, 1819)

Abstract

Lamellidens marginalis (Lamarck, 1819), is a widely distributed mussel species in India and it is an important bivalve that can be used for the production of pearl. In the present study, L. marginalis were collected from low lying areas around Patna and analysed for length-weight relationship, proximate composition, amino acid concentration and fatty acid profiling. Growth study was also conducted for a period of 160 days to record the performance of this species, when reared at subsurface and bottom of a fish pond. The length-weight relationship was found to be Y=3.856X-12.81 and growth coefficient “b” was significantly higher indicating allometric growth pattern. Crude protein, fat, ash and moisture content in the flesh recorded were 7.19, 1.64, 3.70 and 83.92% respectively. Among essential amino acids, lysine was most abundant and low levels of isoleucine was recorded, while among non-essential amino acids, glutamate was dominant. Moreover, 32 fatty acids were recorded in the mussel including omega-3-fatty acids like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Off-bottom culture in the pond performed better than on-bottom culture. Percentage body weight gain (BWG%) and specific growth rate (SGR%) were also higher for off-bottom grown mussels. Keywords: Amino acid, Growth, Lamellidens marginalis, Length-weight relationship, Protein, Survival