The marine gastropods Chicoreus virgineus and Babylonia spirata, though constitute an important fishery along the southeast coast of India remain underutilized at present. Generally the meat of gastropods is considered a delicacy due its high protein and low fat content. Presently, along the east coast of India, only a smaller section of the fisher folk consumes the meat of these gastropods. Many are still not aware of real value and delicacy of these seafood. For better utilization, the smoked products from C. virgineus and B. spirata meat were prepared and shelf life period assessed. The smoked product showed good protein content of 8.6% and 6.2% and less fat content of 3.3% and 3.3% respectively. The tests revealed that biochemically, microbiologically and organoleptically it is good and safe for human consumption till the end of the storage period. In C. virgineus, all the biochemical parameters were significant (p<0.01) however, the pH, moisture and TPC were not significant (b0.05) in B. spirata. The organoleptic characters of the products such as odour and texture in the former species were statistically significant (P>0.05) whereas in the latter the colour, texture, flavour and overall acceptability were statistically significant (p<0.01) during storage period.

Smoked products- gastropodes