Daniela Mariana ROȘIORU1*, Adrian FILIMON1, Elena Daniela PANTEA1, Oana VLAS1
Abstract. Chamelea gallina (vongola), the Romanian coastal clam, is a psamobiont bivalve that was initially studied only from the point of view of its ecological importance. Recently, it has begun to show commercial interest being in the attention of economic operators in the Black Sea. This study is original and presents novelty, aimed to evaluate the physiological, health status given by the condition index (CI) as well as the nutritional and energetic value of this marine resource considered valuable from the economic point of view. For this study, samples of C. gallina bivalves and seawater were collected from 3 stations of the Romanian coastal area in September 2024. To characterize the living environment of the harvested C. gallina bivalves, the main environmental parameters were analyzed in seawater: temperature (0C), pH, salinity (PSU), dissolved oxygen (%), chlorophyll a (µg/L), total suspended solids (mg/L). The distribution of phytoplankton, which is the food source of the bivalves, was also evaluated. The following biological and physiological parameters were analyzed for the harvested specimens of C. gallina: length (mm), weight (g), condition index (CI). From a nutritional and biochemical point of view, the following parameters were analyzed in the meat: dry matter content (DW%), water content (H2O%), organic matter content (OS%), mineral matter content (Ash%), proteins content (%), carbohydrates content (%), lipids content (%), energy value (kcal/100g). The living environment and the physiological state of the organism influence the nutritional quality of the meat. The data obtained from this study will be a reference for future research on the bivalve C. gallina from the Romanian Black Sea coast, for the purpose of exploitation in the natural environment and its growth in aquaculture.
Keywords: Chamelea gallina, nutritional value, condition index, commercial interest, Black Sea
DOI 10.56082/annalsarscibio.2025.2.7
1National Institute for Marine Research and Development “Grigore Antipa“, 300 Mamaia Blvd., 900581, Constanța, Romania
*Corresponding author e-mail: Daniela Mariana ROȘIORU, drosioru@alpha.rmri.ro
PUBLISHED in Annals Academy of Romanian Scientists Series on Biological Sciences, Volume 14 no 2, 2025