INTRODUCTION
The principal occupation in Nigerian population mostly is farming and the food on which man depends for energy and good health is raised by the farmers. Crops are raised on availability of land while water serves as the sources for fish crustance and molluscs.
Snails are invertebrates with soft bodies that are covered with head calcareous shells. They belongs to the phylum mollusca which is the second largest of the animal kingdom.
Site location and site preparations are the major conditions necessary for snail farming
HISTORY
Heliculture means rearing of snail or snail rearing. It began with romans. Mankind has practiced heliculture for more than 2000 years (Cooke 1913). Pliny the historian records FULVIUS LIPPINUS as the first person to establish a snail farm in the year before civil war with pompey. It is possible that FULVIUS snail farm was a fettering farm.
Snail farming today:
• Snail farming today started by roman initiatives.
• More knowledge of its biological make-up and function are now available through research.
• Italian farmers in the North of Italy would gather snails in season and put into enclosures, until winter when it face covering.
• The major snail eating areas in the World are West Africa and Western Europe.
HELICULTURE IN NIGERIA
• Snail is regarded as edible food.
• Increasing item of trade
• Increasing export possibilities
SNAILNERY
Snailnery is a branch of agricultural science that deals with keeping or rearing of snails. What are snails? Snails are invertebrate with soft bodies that are covered with hard calcareous shell. They belong to the phylum mollusca which is the 2nd largest of the animal kingdom
BREEDING OF EDIBLE SNAILS
There are varieties of edible snails. They varies from one area to another. We have 3 major types:
• Achatina - Venticus
• Achatina - Maritume
• Achatina - Maginata
Why do we reare snails?
• To supplement the source of animal protein in our society.
• Because its taste and tenderness little one can benefit from it.
• It’s an excellent source of proteins, it protein content is about 37% to 51% compared to other animal.
• It contains 3% minerals, calcium, phosphorus and copper.
• It also serves as good source of protein and minerals to pregnant mothers, nursing mothers and the babies.
• It’s a good antidote against hypertension.
SNAIL FARMING SYSTEM
It divided into two major types:
• Part life cycle
• Complete life cycle
BIOLOGY OF AFRICAN GIANT SNAIL
The African giant snail (Achatina SP) belongs to the class Gastrophoda, the largest class of molluscs. They consist of well defined part. The shell and soft parts
They are tropical snails and naturally distribution corresponds to humid region, they occurs commonly in high forest and fringing forest of the drivel Savannah of West Africa.
• It consists of external features: such as shell which is the most external features. The shell is a conical tub, spirally coiled aroused a central axis.
• The visceral mass: This is the part of shell which remain permanently in the shell
• Alimentary System: The mouth
• Reproductive System: They are hermaphrodites
• Central nervous System: Its gangliated and the important ganglia form a nerve collar around the esophagus has smell, taste, light visual and tactile senses.
REPRODUCTION IN SNAIL
Since they are hermaphroditic and each snail possess an erectile penis that is inserted into the appropriate genital opening of its mate during copulation. One small can exchange male gametes with the other and both can produce internally fertilize eggs.
The eggs are ellipsoidal and have hard calcareous shell highly permeable to water and therefore subject to dehydration. Snail barrow a hole in the soil where they shelter their eggs for natural incubation. The incubation period for the eggs takes 15 – 31 days.
SNAIL MANAGEMENT
Snails are very active and they soon foul their surrounding:
• Fresh water should be served early morning every day.
• Snails should be wet every day.
• Salt should be avoided in any way or added into their food.
• General cleaning should be carry out once in a month.
• Waste food should be removed before new once are serve. Fed twice a day
RECOMMENDED FEEDS FOR THE SNAILS
• Fruits
• Grains or industrial bye-products
• Succulent vegetables
• Decaying organic matter
• Household waste and kitchen left over
MEDICINAL USES
Scientific reports have confirmed that snail has a lot of medical uses as follows:
• The meat is recommended as a means of combating ulcer and asthma, to remedy iron deficiency and anemia because of its high iron content.
• Its fluid can be used to cure tuberculosis and hypertension.
• Indigenous knowledge on African medicine confirmed that some traditional herbalists indicated that snails could be used to reduce labour pain during child birth and cure small pox.
PEST, PREDATORS AND DISEASE
Pest and predators include snakes, frog, rat, termite, ant, rodent, beetle and man etc. These should be excluded from the snailnery. Baits and trap should be provided outside the pen.
Snail suffers nutritional disease as a result of calcium deficiency. The shell became thinner and fragile.
SNAIL PROCESSING AND TECHNOLOGY
Since snail is a protein product, it can be attached by moulds, bacteria and other parasites. Examine the following before processing:
• Check if the snails have not been affected by micro-organisms such as ciliates and E. Coll mites.
• During holding time, death may occur through heat
• It can be attack by bacteria which resulting death
The method uses for processing snails are as follows:
• Boiling
• Washing
• Preservation
• Oven
• Freezing
• Roasting and deep frying
CANNING
This method can be done by using technology for export drive. This could be done by preparing the snail in sauce and sealing into cans of glass jars or roasting the snails and adding honey.
The can must have good seams, no linkage and must be well pasteurize or sterilized. You need automatic filler, scalar and pasteurizer. The product could be tomato sauced, the addition of salt, peppe and onion could also be done.
Most coming processors now useless ferrous materials due to contamination by metal corrosion.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded that snails are very easy to rear and manage, they serves as very good source of food and a good business for a beginner/entrepreneur.
REFERENCES
• Orisawayi, Y.A. (1996). Practical guide to Snail Rearing
• Ajayi S.S. (1978) Observation of Biology and Nutritional Value of the African Giant Snails.
• African Wildlife Pp. 86 – 87.
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