Minerals and Trace Elements Content of Selected Shellfish from Opuro-ama Waterfront: An Impacted Tidal Creek in Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

In this study, the content of essential minerals, copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), calcium (Ca), and sodium (Na) in the edible parts of Tympanotonus fuscatus, Thais coronata, Crassostrea gasar, Cardisoma guanhumi and Callinectes amnicola from Opuro-ama creeks, River’s state were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer and descriptive statistical analyses of variance were done using SPSS and significant means were separated using the Duncan multiple range test at 0.05. High Cu content was found in the T. coronata (9.66mg/g) while the lowest was observed in C. amnicola (0.54mg/g). Fe was higher in C. gasar (37.8mg/g) and the lowest in T. fuscatus (6.78mg/g). The concentration of Manganese was highest in C. guanhumi (144.8mg/g) and least T. fuscatus in (15.9mg/g). C. guanhumi recorded the highest (225.1mg/g) Ca content while the least was observed in T. fuscatus (55.8mg/g). T. coronata recorded the highest (2.11mg/g) Na content while the least was found in T. fuscatus (0.22mg/g). Ca was the highest mineral observed in all five shellfish, and the least was Sodium (Ca >Mn.>Fe>Cu>Na). The Physico-chemical parameters such as Temperature (°C), pH, Salinity (ppt), DO (Mgl-1), BOD (Mgl-1) and Conductivity (µS/ cm) observed during the study were all within the acceptable limits of the World Health Organization (WHO), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA). The five shellfish species from the Opuro-ama creeks were shown to be good sources of nutrients at various levels, therefore might be a useful alternative for other materials for animal feed formulation