“Another interesting finding and the first being reported for snail meat proteins was their low solubility, which can affect their digestibility, emulsifying capacity and ability to effectively be incorporated into food systems.” She notes that further experiments regarding flavor are to be published. The interactions between snail meat protein powders and other ingredients are in the center of our investigation.” “Preliminary results show an impact on food system properties when SMC is incorporated, texture included. That would help us to understand the material and see how that would best be further exploited.” “We started by attempting to recover protein and characterize the obtained protein preparations. She says this means the ingredient may be useful to foodstuffs needing to retain water or oil, such as gels. This enables water molecules and lipid droplets to be attained inside the gaps, offering a “remarkable” water and oil holding capacity. Matsakidou explains that the structure of snail meat after freeze-drying appears to have an “open” form. The study was conducted at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece and was funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation as well as the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation. It is rich in minerals, especially calcium and magnesium, but no investigation has ever been conducted regarding its digestibility.” Snails are considered a delicacy throughout the world, with escargots being a common dish in France.“Snail meat is considered a good source of high value protein and poor in fat. The team’s ultimate goal is to develop novel products based on snail meat. SMC would be useful to various food and cosmetics products, such as gel-based products.” “Our research revealed remarkable water and lipid holding capacity of snail powders.
Anthia Matsakidou, tells NutritionInsight that her team’s research showed multiple applications for SMC. Principle investigator of the HelEntoFood Project, Dr. It aims to investigate various food and protein sources for the development of food products. The study is part of the ongoing HelEntoFood project, which has a 3.5 year duration. A Greek study has uncovered the lipid-holding properties and protein potential of snail meat concentrate (SMC) powder in gel-based food applications.