Nutritional composition of three estuarine bivalve mussels, Perna viridis, Donax cuneatus and Meretrix meretrix.

The present study determined the nutrient composition of three bivalve mussels. The biochemical constituents (protein, carbohydrate, lipid and vitamins), minerals (iron, copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and manganese) and carbon, nitrogen and calorific values were evaluated. There was a high degree of variation in biochemical constituents and mineral components among the tested mussels. Perna viridis exhibited good nutritional composition when compared with Donax cuneatus and Meretrix meretrix. The results of this study showed that the samples possessed appreciable quantities of all the dietary elements tested, which could make them partial or complete substitutes for conventional seafood.