Quality assessment of scallop Mymachlamys varia as a valuable source of bioactive compunds from the Italian Mediterranean coasts

In Europe, the exploitation of Mimachlamys varia occurs in small quantities through artisanal fisheries (dredges and trawls) that fail to meet the domestic demand, causing a considerable damage and disturbance to benthic communities and associated nursery habitat. To overcome these problems there is great interest to develop sustainable scallop culture, but the choice of new candidate species presupposes also the acquisition of basic knowledge such as their nutritional value. The objective of this study was to provide information about the nutritional quality of M. varia, cultured on suspended cages in the Gulf of Taranto (Ionian sea). For this purpose the monthly assessment of biochemical composition of M. varia edible portion were determined.