Snails are terrestrial shell molluscs. Snails have been living on the earth since ancient times. There are many kinds of snails, about 25,000 kinds, found all over the world, and there are thousands of kinds in my country alone. Most snails are poisonous and inedible. There are about 11 species of edible value in my country, such as brown cloud agate snail, tall ring-mouthed snail, Hainan hard snail, wrinkled hard snail, Jiangxi bar snail, Malovian bar snail, white jade snail, etc. There are three main types of snails that are used for food and artificially cultured around the world:
French snails
Also called grape snails, because they mainly live in grape plantations and are made from grape stems, leaves, The buds, fruits, etc. are eaten and get their name. Because it looks like an apple, it is also called the apple snail, and its scientific name is the giant snail. Liangda snail varieties are produced in France, Italy, the former Soviet Union and other countries. Temperature is basically the same as the adaptation limit of large snails. This breed can weigh up to 400 grams.
The shell is spherical, with a shell height of 28~35mm and a width of 45~60mm. The shell is thick, solid, opaque, and has 5.0 to 5.5 whorl layers. The spiral part grows slowly and is low conical in shape. The body whorl layer is enlarged, the shell mouth does not tilt downward, and the shell surface is dark yellowish brown or yellowish brown, shiny, and has multiple dark brown bands. The top of the shell is blunt, and the umbilicus of the adult is covered by the axial lip. The shell mouth is oval in shape, with sharp edges and folded lips, and the inner substance is light yellow or light brown.
Garden snails
The garden snail is a genus of "Hallicks" snail, native to France, the United Kingdom and other regions in central and western Europe. It usually lives in gardens or bushes, so it is called "Garden snail" is also called the large snail. The adult snail is slightly smaller in size, with a diameter of about 3 cm. The shell is thin and yellow-brown, with 4 purple-brown bands. The surface of the shell is covered with many small yellow-brown spots. At present, the large snails farmed in my country are small in size and have poor economic benefits due to species degradation.
Agate snails
In Taiwan, they are called Lu snails. In Guangdong, they are called Dongfeng snails, cabbage snails or flower snails. They belong to the agate snail category. The agate snail is native to the Malagasy Island in East Africa and later spread throughout the tropics. It is the largest snail in the world, so it is also called the African giant snail. The snail is cone-shaped, and the surface of the snail shell is covered with a layer of yellow-brown shell with dark brown patterns. Usually the shell of an adult snail is about 6 to 8 centimeters long, 3 to 4 centimeters wide, and weighs more than 50 grams. In western Africa, especially residents of the Gold Coast, snails are considered the only animal protein. Due to the delicious taste of this snail meat, it is very popular among European and American bosses, causing the African giant snail to become the staple food snail in the world today. This kind of snail is a species that is more adapted to growing under my country's natural conditions.
At present, the species commonly cultivated in my country is called white jade snail, also known as white-meat snail. It is named after its snow-white flesh color. It belongs to the phylum Mollusca, class Gastropod, and terrestrial shellfish. Hermaphroditic, among all the large families of edible snail species in the world, it is the best. White jade snail is one of the special animals in my country. It has special value, special nutrition, special flavor, and special use. Its meat is thick and nutritious, high in protein, low in fat, and rich in more than 20 kinds of amino acids. It is also the best nourishment for astronauts and athletes. Taste.
It is a variant of the agate snail. Its peculiarity is that the muscles of its head, neck and feet are different in color, but its shape and living habits are no different from those of the brown cloud agate snail. The breeding methods are basically the same, except that the requirements for sanitary conditions are higher during breeding, and other The economic value of export sales is also higher. Snails are a valuable wild animal resource. They do not compete for labor, food or farmland. They have low investment, low cost, quick results, high profits, easy breeding, wide range of feeds, high reproduction rate, low morbidity, and hunger resistance. It is a special economic animal with special economic significance and development value that is strong in ability, silent, tasteless and pollution-free and easy to be promoted.
It is precisely because of the above-mentioned advantages of snails that their breeding and development have high economic significance, which is specifically reflected in the following aspects.
1. A large amount of foreign exchange earnings from exports
With the development of snail breeding, snails will not only become treasures in our people’s banquets, but also various kinds of snail food will go abroad for exchange. A lot of foreign exchange. Because currently there are dozens of shops specializing in snail products in Paris, France alone, but self-produced snails only account for about 3% to 5% of consumption, and all the snails needed are imported.
There are other countries, such as the United States, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Austria, the United Kingdom, etc., whose demand for snails is increasing day by day. However, these countries have small agricultural land areas, large amounts of pesticides and fertilizers, few agricultural and sideline products, and are not suitable for feeding. Snails, especially after the leakage accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the former Soviet Union in 1986, European snails were contaminated, which increased the demand for Chinese snails in the international market. The international price of snail frozen meat has increased year by year. It is reported that the demand for snails in Japan, South Korea, Singapore and other countries has also increased recently.
Our country is a large agricultural country with abundant resources. The economy is originally relatively backward and investment in agriculture is low. In particular, the amount of pesticides and fertilizers used is relatively lower than that of developed countries. This is difficult for any country in the world to develop snail breeding. If we are unable to compete with our country, we are fully qualified to monopolize the international snail market.
2. Provide cheap high-quality protein feed
Developing snail breeding and using snails to make various livestock feed additives to feed livestock can not only reduce costs but also greatly improve the quality of other feeds. Utilization. For example, some white jade snail breeding base divided pigs of the same breed and age into two groups, and added complete feed made from snails and ordinary starch protein feed for experiments: the crude protein content of both groups of feeds accounted for 12.43%. The results At the same time, the group fed with snail feed gained 38.9 kilograms per head, 4 kilograms more than the group fed with starch feed, and spent 0.21 yuan less for every 500 grams of weight gain. The reason is that the snail feed contains many enzymes. and various amino acids, which can not only meet the growth and development needs of pigs, but also improve the digestion and utilization rate of feed to provide pigs with more comprehensive nutritional needs. Therefore, developing snail feed can reduce the cost of meat and eggs, improve people's consumption quality, and reduce expenditures.
3. Improve the utilization rate of agricultural resources
According to statistics, the world's current use of green plants to accumulate solar energy-containing dry matter is about 9.1 billion tons, of which only 40% can be utilized. There are also 60% of dry matter containing solar energy, such as leaves, crop leaves and many other agricultural and sideline products. Since most of them are polymer compounds such as lignin and cellulose, they cannot be digested by the intestines of humans and animals, so they are wasted. The digestive tract of snails contains more than 30 kinds of enzymes, which can completely break down and transform these substances, so they can be used. Various leaves, crop leaves, melon, fruit and bean leaves are good feed for snails. Snails can completely transform agricultural and sideline products that humans cannot use into nutrients needed by humans and animals, providing humans with more energy. Not only that, if the feed used for poultry and livestock is used to feed snails, the value of feed utilization can also be increased. Some people have experimented with feeding snails with bran and rice bran mixed with water since they can eat concentrate after they are born. After four months, one pound of feed can turn into one pound of snails. This kind of feed conversion rate is unmatched by any animal. Therefore, the development of snail farming can not only utilize the useless waste energy of existing agricultural and sideline products, but also improve the utilization rate of available resources.
4. Promote the sustained and stable development of multiple industries.
1. Promote the development of agriculture
Farmers raising snails can first transfer part of the idle labor force. A labor force raising snails can earn more than 20,000 yuan a year. It is higher than the income from farming 20 acres of land. The planting structure can also be adjusted to facilitate the development of intensive planting. The income from snail breeding can also be used to increase agricultural income and change the face of rural areas.
2. Promote the development of animal husbandry
Experimental studies have shown that since snails contain a variety of amino acids, enzymes and vitamins, as long as snail feces or leftover food is added to the feed, Food and the snail itself, even if other ingredients of the feed remain unchanged, the livestock will grow faster than before. Therefore, the development of snail breeding is one of the most effective ways to promote the development of animal husbandry.
3. Promote the development of the processing industry
At present, our country has successfully developed more than 20 products from white jade snails, and they have all been put into the market and are very popular among people. Such as snail dishes, snail frozen meat, canned snails, snail cakes, snail drinks, snail medicines, snail cosmetics, snail feed, snail enzymes, snail vinegar and egg liquid, snail wine, etc. The processing equipment and technology for so many products have already been solved. However, these processing industries have problems such as few projects and insufficient food, which need to be solved urgently.
If the snail breeding industry develops, many of the above processing industries will develop. Therefore, snail farming can promote the development of the processing industry.
4. Promote the development of commercial foreign trade
With the development of snail breeding and processing industry, my country's commercial foreign trade will become more prosperous. The launch of numerous snail products on the market not only brings prosperity to the lives of our people, but also our country's snail products, especially white jade snail products, will monopolize the international market. Because our country is suitable for the development of snail breeding industry, only our country has white jade snails. According to reports, the export price of white jade snails is several times that of dark-meat snails. Therefore, the development of snail breeding industry, especially the cultivation of white jade snails, will inevitably promote the rapid development of commercial foreign trade.
5. Promote the development of high technology
Before my country could not extract helicase, importing one gram of helicase cost US$100. Therefore, snail enzyme is called soft gold. At that time, although helicase was needed in many projects such as medicine, biology, cosmetics, textiles, and fermentation to reduce processes and costs, helicase was not possible because of its high price. For example, in genetics research, recombining a pair of excellent genes to create a new variety requires many complex processes, which are long-lasting and ineffective. For example, helicase can easily dissolve the cell walls of two plant cells to achieve genetic development. Reorganize and develop new varieties. This method is simpler and takes less time than creating new varieties through hybridization or pollen breeding, and is safer and more reliable than other chemical treatments for plants. In addition, helicase is used to dissolve the cell wall of yeast, and the dissolved yeast cell can still maintain its biological activity. By removing the yeast mitochondria from it, the properties and functions of the original yeast can be changed, and the utilization value of the original yeast can be improved. Therefore, the development of snail breeding industry can also promote the development of high technology.
White jade snail, named for its head, skin and feet as white as jade, is famous for its extremely rich nutritional value. It is not only a delicious delicacy, but also a medicinal treasure. Snails are cold in nature and salty in taste, can clear away heat and detoxify, reduce swelling and soften hardness, and can cure many diseases. The whole body of the white jade snail is a treasure, with high comprehensive utilization value, large demand, and great potential for deep processing. White jade snail meat is tender and nutritious. It is a high-level nutritional product with high protein (containing more than 20 kinds of amino acids), low fat, and close to zero cholesterol. Regular consumption can increase nutrition, enhance endurance, improve physical fitness, and improve skin health. Maintain tenderness and fitness, delay aging, and prolong life. The specific protein contained in snails is very beneficial to children's intellectual development. Snail meat and eggs can be used medicinally to treat a variety of diseases. According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica", 18 kinds of prescriptions can be prepared from snails; modern Chinese medicine believes that snails are cold in nature and salty in taste, and enter the large intestine, lungs, and kidneys. The effect of hernia management is mainly used to treat hemorrhoid swelling and pain, swollen larynx, asthma, dehydration, umbilical rheumatism in children, foot rot, Japanese encephalitis, wind evil epilepsy, diphtheria, mumps, hypertension and other diseases. It can also stop nosebleeds and relieve diarrhea. deaf. In summary, extensive development of snail breeding and its development and utilization are a shortcut to improve people's health and get rich as quickly as possible.