Abstract
The invasive mollusk Crepidula fornicata, occurring in large amounts in bays along the French Northeastern Atlantic coasts, may have huge environmental effects in highly productive ecosystems where shellfish are exploited. The present study aims at determining the potential economic value of this marine species in terms of exploitable substances with high added value. Lipid content and phospholipid (PL) composition of this mollusk collected on the Bourgneuf Bay were studied through four seasons. Winter specimens contained the highest lipid levels (5.3% dry weight), including 69% of PLs. Phosphatidylcholine (PC) was the major PL class all year, accounting for 63.9% to 88.9% of total PLs. Consequently, the winter specimens were then investigated for PL fatty acids (FAs), and free sterols. Dimethylacetals (DMAs) were present (10.7% of PL FA + DMA mixture) revealing the occurrence of plasmalogens. More than forty FAs were identified, including 20:5n-3 (9.4%) and 22:6n-3 (7.3%) acids. Fourteen free sterols were present, including cholesterol at 31.3% of the sterol mixture and about 40% of phytosterols. These data on lipids of C. fornicata demonstrate their positive attributes for human nutrition and health. The PL mixture, rich in PC and polyunsaturated FAs, offers an interesting alternative source of high value-added marine lecithin.
Highlights
Coastal environments are essential habitats for many marine species of importance for human food and industry
Adults and young adults of the suspension-feeder mollusk Crepidula fornicata were collected from the same site, an oyster farming site in the Bourgneuf Bay (French Atlantic coast), through four seasons of the year
All fatty acids (FAs) of the total PLs were converted into the fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) by transmethylation with methanolic hydrogen chloride
Summary
Coastal environments are essential habitats for many marine species of importance for human food and industry. Native to the North American Atlantic coasts, this gastropod mollusk has been repeatedly introduced in Western Europe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, often due to imports and cultures of oysters [2] These populations have reached spectacular densities in many European ecosystems, in highly productive French ecosystems where shellfish are exploited [2,3,4,5]. Typically rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), mainly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), have beneficial effects on human health [9,10,11]. Samples were collected at four seasons in order to determine the period at which the lipid and PL contents were optimal
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