Valorization of Chicken and Quail egg Shells, Snail Shells and Cuttlefish Bone as Naturals Sources of Micronutrients

Abstract

Good nutrition is the foundation of health and well-being, physical and cognitive development, and individual's economic productivity. Unfortunately, global undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies still remain unresolved problems. The case of developing countries is still very alarming. This work therefore focuses on the micro-nutritional value of chicken and quail egg shells, snail shells and cuttlefish bone, destined for the trash in order to determine the level of ions such as Calcium (Ca 2+ ), Magnesium (Mg 2+ ), Potassium (k + ), Sodium (Na + ) and iron (Fe 3+ ). At the beginning of the work, a survey was carried out among the populations of the commune of Natitingou in the Republic of Benin. This step was followed by the preparation of powders of the four substances. The powders were put into solution then assayed for the quantification of the different ions mentioned above. At the end of the survey, it appears that more than 50% of respondents are aware that calcium can be found in the shells mentioned above and are in favor of their processing to make them edible. The titration of the different solutions reveals a higher level of calcium ion Ca 2+ in cuttlefish bone with a value of (90 mg/100g of powder). The highest level of magnesium was found in quail egg shells (24 mg/g of powder). The levels of the two minerals in the case of eggshells are in second position (60 mg/g of powder for Ca 2+ and 20 mg/g of powder for Mg 2+ ). The levels of K + and Na + ions always remain higher in the case of cuttlefish bone and low in the case of chicken and quail eggshells. In short, chicken and quail eggs, which are very available and often neglected, are a very good source of calcium and magnesium that can serve as a matrix in the design of food supplements rich in micronutrients.