Limicolaria Flammea Research Articles

Blood biochemical parameters of rats fed with powder from the flesh of the Limicolaria flammea snail

With a view to the nutritional value of the Limicolaria flamea snail and the contribution to the fight against protein deficiencies, our study consisted of determining the blood biochemical parameters, blood mineral levels and serum enzyme activity in rats fed the different diets (ESC, RTC and RPP), in particular the diet containing powder derived from the flesh of the Limicolaria flammea snail. After the rats had been fed the diets on a daily basis for 15 days, the protein intake of the diets was used to measure the effect of consuming powder derived from the flesh of the Limicolaria flammea snail on the biochemical and mineral indicators of the rats fed the different diets. The results show that the urea content of rats fed the RTC, ESC and RPP diets respectively was 0.26 ± 0.06 g/L, 0.3 ± 0.15 g/L and 0.29 ± 0.01 respectively. The creatinine values in the blood of rats on their respective diets (RTC, ESC and RPP) were 3.25 ± 0.5 g/L, 3.25 ± 0.5 g/L and 3.5 ± 0.57 g/L respectively. Thus, the serum enzyme values of the rats on their respective diets showed no significant difference at the 5 % threshold, particularly for serum enzymes such as Aspartane Amino Transferase (ASAT) and Alanine Amino Transferase (ALAT).

Growth Performance and Hematological Characteristics of Wistar Rats Fed Diets Formulated from Three Species of Mollusks (Limicolaria flammea, Viviparus contectus and Egeria radiata) from Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Aim: The present study investigated the performance characteristics and hematological parameters of Wistar rats fed diets formulated from three species of mollusks (Limicolaria flammea, Viviparus contectus and Egeria radiata).
 Study Design: Twenty-five Wistar rats (negative control, positive control, 3 experimental groups) were used in the 28-days feeding experiment and administered diets as follows: T1-Basal, T2-CerelacTM (Nestle Foods Nigeria Plc), T3- L. flammea, T4- V. contectus and T5- E. radiata.
 Methodology: Proximate composition of diets and faecal and carcass nitrogen were determined by standard methods while hematological analysis was done using Mindray PC-10 Auto Hematology Analyzer.
 Results: Crude protein composition of the experimental diets ranged from 6.74±0.03% to 19.58±0.02% in T1 and T5 respectively. T2, T3, T4 and T5 animals had significant weight gain except T1. T3, T4 and T5 had higher total feed consumed values compared to T2. There was no significant difference in feed conversion ratio (FCR) between T2 and experimental diets (T3, T4, T5). T1 had a negative feed conversion ratio (FCR) (-0.03±0.002) and hence significantly lower (p<0.05) than T2, T3, T4 and T5. Protein efficiency ratio (PER) was lowest in T5 and highest in cerelac group; Protein efficiency ratio (PER) of T2 was significantly higher (p<.05) than other groups while T1 was significantly lower (p<.05) than other groups. True digestibility (TD) in T4 was higher than other experimental groups (T1, T2, T3, T5). Biological value (BV) showed the following trend: T5<T3<T4<T2. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the relative organ weights of the heart, kidney and spleen of rats in this study. Except for T3, all other diets boosted packed cell volume (PCV) levels higher than controls (T1 and T2). T4 animals had higher values for packed cell volume (PCV), white blood cells (WBC) and lower values for monocytes and neutrophils when compared to T1 and T2.
 Conclusion: The formulated diets thus showed good potential to maintain health (except T3 which showed significant harmful effects on hematological parameters) hence their consumption (after proper cooking) is thus encouraged.

Comparative Studies of Biodegradation of Wastes Using Cellulase from Garden Snails (Limicolaria flammea) and Giant African Snails (Archachatina marginata)

The generation of solid waste is a massive and ever-growing problem that affects the entire world, particularly developing countries. In Africa, waste recycling is not fully embraced and performed; as a result, these waste products are viewed as physical contaminants that can harm the ecosystem, generate pollution, and cause a lot of environmental risks. The use of synthetic compounds in the decomposition of wastes could harm the ecosystem and lead to global warming, thus biocatalysts are a preferred option. Cellulase, a hydrolytic enzyme, could digest cellulose, a main component of solid waste. Garden snail (Limicolaria flammea) and Giant Africa snail (Archachatina marginata) are organisms that feed on dead, decaying and actively growing plants due to their possession of cellulolytic enzyme. Cellulase from the gut of Archachatina marginata haemolymph and Limicolaria flammea had specific activities of 1.15 U/mg and 1.14 U/mg respectively. It also showed high level of degradation. Limicolaria flammea haemolymph showed high activity of 504.11% on soluble starch, 529.39% on kick tree and 993.77% on carton paper. This study suggests that cellulase from both Limicolaria flammea and Archachatina marginata has biodegrading potentials on waste materials. While their effects and the rate of degrading wastes differ, they could both be relevant in waste management especially on kitchen waste.

Interactions of Undescribed Drilus Beetle Larvae with Pestiferous Limicolaria flammea (Gastropoda: Achatinidae): Are There Prospects for Biocontrol?

The garden snail, Limicolaria flammea is a seasonal pest of several horticultural crops in most of the agroecological areas in Nigeria. The level of damage to crops is especially enormous in the South because of its ability to feed on different crops and the timing of abundance, the early rain season, which usually coincide with onset of rain-fed crop production which expose seedlings and grown-up crop plants to serious damage. In this study, we recorded occurrence data of Limicolaria flammea in okra, carrot, sweet potato, lettuce and maize within a single multi-crop organic farm in order to understand its food preference. Activities of the predatory beetle larvae, Drilus sp was observed within the environment. The appearance of the larvae was described and its interaction with L. flammea was studied to generate some data on the proportions of snail mortality caused by Drilus sp and other mortality factors that naturally regulate the population dynamics of L. flammea within the environment. There was no statistically significant difference in the average number of snails recorded in the different cropping fields [F (4,15) =1.369, P=0.291]. The activities of Drilus larvae against L. flammea was higher in okra and carrot plots as snail mortality due to the larvae attack were significantly higher compared to what was recorded in other crop plots [F (4, 30) =3.998, P=0.01].The Drilus larvae predate on L. flammea by appertural entry, biting through the soft tissues around the mantle to gain entrance and moult into instar larvae within the snail shell in 15-20 days, leaving its exuviae behind in the shell in all the specimens observed (n=40). The Drilus species being reported in this study is morphologically distinct from other described species in available literature. The study suggested that the Drilus species is less known and there are potentials that the species could be useful in inundative biocontrol approaches for the management of pestiferous gastropod populations.

Kinetic and Thermodynamic Characterization of two Polygalacturonases Isolated from the Digestive Juice of the Snail Limicolaria flammea

Polygalacturonases are extensively used in food industries for pectic substances degradation. In this paper, we investigate on thermal stability parameters of two Polygalacturonases previously isolated from digestive juice of the snail Limicolaria flammea for several industrial applications such as fruit juice clarification. Thermal inactivation was carried out in the temperature range of 55°C to 80°C from 15 to 120 min. All results were statistically analysed. The results shown that thermal inactivation of studied acid phosphatases follows first order kinetics. At their optimum temperatures, these enzymes showed high half-lives ranging from 462.06 to 630.10 min and D values from 1535.00 to 2093.64 min suggesting that these two enzymes had a large thermal stability. The high values of ΔG# (93.96 to 94.97 kJ/mol) reveal a better resistance to denaturation. The relatively high activation energies (from 120.35 to 129.13 kJ/mol) and average enthalpy values (from 117.67 to 126.44 kJ.mol−1) could corroborate the good stability of these biocatalyst. All these results suggest that Polygalacturonases from digestive juice of the snail Limicolaria flammea may be profitably exploited in future food industrial applications.

Biochemical Characterization of Two Polygalacturonases Purified from the Digestive Juice of the Snail Limicolaria flammea

Polygalacturonases constitute the major part of pectinase preparations for many bioprocess purposes. Investigation on the digestive juice of snail Limicolaria flammea led to purification of two polygalacturonases named PG1 and PG2. Properties of these enzymes were examined to explore their potential in biotechnology applications. A three steps procedure including size exclusion, anion and cation exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography were used for purification. The enzymes PG1 and PG2 had native molecular weights of approximately 46 and 86 kDa, respectively and functioned both as monomeric structures. The purified polygalacturonases PG1 and PG2 showed optimum hydrolysis activities at 50°C in sodium acetate buffer pH 5.6. The common inhibitor of the two purified polygalacturonases activity were Mn2+, Ca2+, Zn2+, EDTA, SDS and L-cystein. NH3+ stimulate the polygalacturonase PG1 while Ba2+ was an activator for polygalacturonase PG2. Substrate specificity indicated that these enzymes hydrolyse a broad range of pectin from different sources. The highest activity of PG1 was observed with apple pectin and lemon pectin while PG2 showed its highest activity with orange pectin. The catalytic efficiency of PG1 was highest for lemon pectin (0.125 µmol/min/mL) and orange pectin (0.124 µmol/min/mL). PG2 displayed highest catalytic efficiency (0.325 µmol/min/mL) towards orange pectin. These results suggest that orange and lemon pectin would be the potential physiological substrates of the two purified enzymes.

Experimental Assessment of the Toxicity Effects of Phone Battery Wastes on Aquatic and Terrestrial Bioindicators

Aims: The present study aimed at assessing the toxicity effects of phone battery wastes on aquatic and terrestrial bioindicators.
 Study Design: Five treatments and the controls designs designated as 6.25%, 12.5%, 25%, 50%, 100%, CTRL and 1 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg, 4 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, 6 mg/kg, CTRL were set up in triplicates and incubated for 24 h, 72 h and 20 days at 25 ± 2°C.
 Place and Duration of Study: Department of Microbiology, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Nigeria during May, 2019 - August, 2019.
 Methodology: The growth inhibition and mortality were analyzed using Aspergillus terreus toxicity test, Allium cepa toxicity test and Limicolaria flammea toxicity test.
 Results: The results revealed that marine water (7.12 logCFU/mL) was shown to had more fungal count than the fresh water (7.07 logCFU/mL) ecosystem. On A. terreus, Itel in fresh water sample had the highest LC50 values of 30.49% while Gionee in fresh water sample had the lowest LC50 values of 21.74% after 24 h, respectively. The Itel battery sample had higher EC50 value (86.08%) than Gionee battery sample with EC50 value of 65.46% after 72 h on A. cepa. On L. flammea, Itel phone battery sample had lower (5.11%) LC50 value than Gionee phone battery sample with higher (6.20%) LC50 value at 6 mg/kg concentration after 20 days’ exposure, respectively.
 Conclusion: The results indicate that indiscriminate release of E- wastes into the aquatic and terrestrial environments should be discouraged.

Effects (in vivo) of the nutritional potential of snail Limicolaria flammea (Müller) meat on wistar rats

Development of new animal protein sources contributes to the fight against protein deficiencies in diets of populations in sub-Saharan Africa. This study was investigated to assess the impact of snail flesh (Limicolaria flammea) diet on biochemical and zootechnical parameters of young wistar rats. Thus, three diets (RTC, ESC and RPP) were made and submitted to these rats for 15 days. The biochemical analysis of snail flesh (Limicolaria flammea) powder having served as a protein source (46.65±0.05%) is also rich in ash (6.23±0.01%), calcium (1654.54±0.06 mg/100g), potassium (1324.54±4.18 mg/100g) and sodium (668.69±1.13 mg/100g). The results showed that the constituted diets had a significant impact on the rats weight compared to the control diet (RTC) with an average daily variation of +2.08 g/J (RTC); 1.68 g/J (ESC) and - 0.69 g/J (RPP) with respective final weights at the end of the experiment of 68.12±1g; 68.12±1g and 45.3±1g. Furthermore, the ESC diet had no negative impact on the weight of vital organs. The organs weights such as the heart (0.52±0.04g), liver (3.19±0.96g), spleen (0.28±0.03g), kidneys (0.80±0.04g) and abdominal fat (0.85±0.08g) of fed rats on the diet (ESC) showed no significant difference (p <0.05) with those of rats fed the control diet (BTI).

Effects (in vivo) of the nutritional potential of snail Limicolaria flammea (Müller) meat on wistar rats

Effects (in vivo) of the nutritional potential of snail Limicolaria flammea (Müller) meat on wistar rats

Consumption and Use of Snail Limicolaria Flammea (Müller, 1774) in the City of Abidjan, Cote D‘ivoire

The nutritional survey on the snail Limicolaria flammea (Müller, 1774) integrated several aspects and made it possible to understand in particular socio-demographic characteristics of populations surveyed, the knowledge of the snail Limicolaria flammea (according to municipalities visited), vernacular names, consumption parameters, associated uses and the conservation of the meat of this snail. It appears that 55.33% of respondents are women and 44.67% are men. The most important age group is between 20-34 years old. In this age group, 50.12% of people say they consume the snail Limicolaria flammea. Ethnic groups, Akan (55.73%), Krou (35.21%), Mande (6.26%), and foreigners (2.8%) are thus represented in this study and have expressed their opinions on the knowledge and consumption of this animal species. Vernacular names (23 vernacular names) are quite different from each other according to ethnic groups. Consumption parameters showed that the flesh of snail is used for food (65.65%). Also, the shell of snail is used for medical (29.25%), and aesthetic (8.95%). Diseases treated are pain (20.46%) and rheumatism (6.90%). Investigations have shown that 61.70% of consumers keep the snail's flesh fresh, 38.30% of them smoked. The storage time most observed by consumers (65.40%) is 1 to 4 days.

Soil factors affecting density of three giant land snail species in different habitats of Dassa-Zoumè district (Central Benin)

This study examines the environmental factors affecting the density of the exploited giant land snail species, Archachatina marginata, Achatina fulica and Limicolaria flammea in the Dassa-Zoumedistrict of Benin. Thirty plots of 30m £ 30m were laid out, within four vegetation types (fallows, forest, woodlands and wood savannah). Inside each plot the numbers of each giant land snail species were counted, and soil characteristics were measured. ANOVA and generalized linear models (GLMs) with Poisson distribution were used to examine the influence of soil factors on the giant land snails. A. fulica has the highest mean density (507 snails/ha) while A. marginata has the lowest density (110 snails/ha). ANOVA showed no significant difference in density between habitat types for any species. The most parsimonious GLM model showed that the abundance of A. fulica was positively associated to the fine sands, fine silts and pH, while the interactions were negatively associated with the abundance of the species. The abundance of L. flammea was negatively associated with the fine sands, fine silts and pH, while the interactions were positively associated with the abundance of the species. As for A. marginata, the abundance was negatively associated with the fine silts, pH and litter, while the interactions were positively associated with the abundance of the species. The abundance pattern of forest molluscs is likely to be affected by different processes. Exploitation of these giant snails will affect their density, and further research is needed to establish appropriate levels of harvesting and habitat management.

Comparative Study of Thiaminase in Headfoot and Hepatopancreas of Limicolaria flammea (Müller, 1774)

Aims: This study aimed at determining the level of thiaminase in the Limicolaria flammea with a view to ascertaining the nutritional and health implications of its consumption. Methodology: Proximate analyses of two tissues, headfoot and hepatopancreas, were investigated to assess their nutritional qualities. The thiaminases in the tissues were purified by chromatographic separations using DEAE-Sephacel ion - exchange and Biogel P-100 columns. Results: The Michealis Menten constant obtained for hepatopancreas thiaminase was 0.83 mM and 0.13 mM for thiamine and aniline respectively; for the headfoot thiaminase, 1.06 mM and 0.16 mM was obtained for thiamine and aniline respectively. An optimum pH of 8.5 was obtained for thiaminase in the two tissues. Temperature optimum of 65°C and 70°C was obtained for the headfoot and hepatopancreas enzymes respectively. The amino acids and glutathione activated the enzyme from hepatopancreas, while the headfoot enzyme was significantly inhibited except proline which showed very high activation. The cations: NH 4 + , Hg

Limicolaria flammea (Müller, 1774), Another Potentially Invasive African Land Snail in Tropical Asia

The pulmonate land snail, Limicolaria flammea (Müller, 1774), is native to West Africa and its invasive potential is hitherto unknown. We report this species in Asia, specifically on the tropical island of Singapore. The presence of this alien species is of grave concern because its congener ( L. aurora) has invaded the French West Indies and the confamilial giant African land snail ( Achatina fulica) has colonized the globe to an extent where it is regarded as one of the world's worst 100 invasive alien species. In order to curb the spread of L. flammea into the native forests in Singapore, local authorities should start employing mechanical eradication methods (e.g., handpicking). We hypothesize that L. flammea arrived together with an exotic plant species, whose identity and import origin must be determined urgently to prevent the spread of this species into the rest of tropical Asia.

Light and electron microscopy study of late embryonic development in the land snail Limicolaria flammea (Müller) (Pulmonata, Achatinidae)

The late stages of embryogenesis in the achatinid land snail Limicolariaflammea (Müller, 1774) were described using light and electron microscopy. Embryos at various stages of development were present in the eggs during the first hour after they were laid, from 4-cell blastulae to morulae and fairly advanced stages. The advanced embryo which was fully developed on the second day bears a long cephalic sac, first to be developed, attached to the embryo and a podocyst which is attached to the foot of the embryo. Both of these structures are reduced in size as embryogenesis progresses until they finally disappear at about the 7th day after the egg was deposited. The embryonic shell was apparent on the second day and spiral coiling was apparent at about day 5. The spiral shell had one whorl when formed and more spirals were added so that at hatching the young snails had three whorls.

An Ultrastructural Study of the Seminal Vesicle of the Hermaphrodite Duct of the Land Snail Limicolaria flammea (Müller) (Pulmonata: chatinidae)

The seminal vesicle region of the hermaphrodite duct of the edible land snail, Limicolaria flammea (Müller) is described using light and electron microscopy. The lumen is lined with a single layer of epithelial cells surrounded by connective tissues and circularly arranged smooth muscle. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that there are two types of epithelial cells lining the lumen of the seminal vesicle duct. Type 1 epithelial cells are highly ciliated columnar with large irregular shaped basal nuclei. Type 2 epithelial cells are non-ciliated columnar with large irregularly shaped basal nuclei. The apical surface of the Type 2 cell bears numerous microvilli. Mitochondria, glycogen, lipids, rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes, Golgi bodies and vacuoles are observed in the two types of epithelial cells and their lateral margins are joined apically by zonula adhaerens, below which are located septate junctions. The functional significance of the epithelial cells are discussed.

Effects of dietary calcium on growth and oviposition of the African land snail Limicolaria flammea (Pulmonata: Achatinidae)

In an attempt to elucidate the role of calcium in the life of the edible Achatinid snail, Limicolaria flammea (Miller) I investigated short and long term effects of calcium added to the food. The short term experiments lasted for 18, 30 and 32 weeks respectively, while the long term experiment to determine life time utilization of calcium carbonate lasted for 15 months. In the short term experiments, hatchlings were divided into densities of one, ten and 50 snails. In the 10 snail group, there was a positive correlation between calcium provision, body weight (t test, p < 0.01; r = 0.96, p < 0.0001) and shell length (t test, p < 0.01; r = 0.96, p < 0.00001). There was also a positive correlation between increase in shell length and availability of calcium in the 1 snail group (t test, p< 0.01; r = 0.99, p < 0.00001). In the 50-snail group, the correlation was positive for shell length of the snails (t test, p < 0.05; r = 0.99, p < 0.0001) and body weight (t-test, p < 0.05; r = 99, p < 0.00001). Mortality was very high in the snails deprived of calcium and they did not produce eggs. In the long term experiment, there were three feeding peaks in L. flammea. In the first feeding peak, amount of food and calcium ingested by the snails increased in the first three months of life. The second feeding peak occurred at six months of age, while the last occurred at 10 months of age. The amount of calcium ingested during the second peak decreased gradually in the 4th and 5th month. The amount of calcium ingested was lowest during the 3rd feeding peak. The period of highest weight gained by the snails was between the 1st and 6th month and then dropped at between six and 12 months of age which corresponds to the period of egg production. There were also three peaks of egg production; the first was between six and eight months (535 eggs), the second at between 10 and 11 months (350 eggs) and the third at 13 to 14 months (310 eggs) respectively.

Population biology of the common land snail &lt;i&gt;Limicolaria flammea&lt;/i&gt; in an isolated garden at area F Abu, Samaru, Zaria

A population study to determine the number of and distribution of the common land snail Limicolari flammea in a selected garden habitat is reported. A total snail population of 859 and 975 using the Lincoln index and Welch formula respectively were obtained for a farm garden measuring 1250m2 while the distribution of the snails per garden plant was banana 40%; maize 20%; okro 14%; pawpaw 13%; yam 9% and bare ground 4%. Keywords: snails, Limicolaria flammea, population, habitat, numbers, distribution Plant Products Research Journal Vol.8(1) 2004: 23-29

Maturation timing in the land snails Archachatina marginata ovum (Pfeiffer) and Limicolaria flammea (Müller) (Pulmonata: Achatinidae)

Summary The timing of gonadal maturation was studied in two edible species of West African achatinid snails, Archachatina marginata ovum (Pfeiffer) and Limicolaria flammea (Müller), using light microscopic observation of gametogenesis in the ovotestis and oviposition. Additionally, the growth of the reproductive system was analysed by weekly measurement of body weight, shell length and reproductive system in both laboratory-bred and wild snails of both species. The ovotestis in A. marginata ovum and L. flammea produces oocytes and spermatozoa simultaneously. The five active and two inactive gametogenic stages observed in the two species are described and compared. Genitalia development start after the onset of gametogenesis in both species with the male system developing before the female system. The growth of the albumen gland follows the maturation of the gonad in L. flammea, but in A. marginata ovum the growth is cyclical and seasonal. The first oviposition occurs at approximately 19 months of age in A. marginata ovum and 5 months in L. flammea bred in the laboratory. L. flammea breeds almost throughout the year, whereas this process is restricted to March-October in A. marginata ovum. In L. flammea, the reproductive investment is nearly 200% of parental body weight and the species is estimated to produce 375 young with full size biomass of 1,725 g, while the 140 young produced by A. marginata ovum represent 97% of parental body weight in 3 years and have at full size a biomass of 54,740 g.