Clam - Kube in Konkani

Wednesday, 06 January 2010 06:02 Glossary - Animal Derivatives

Clam
Latin Name: Meretrix meretrix
French: Clam
Availability: West and East coasts of India Along the coasts of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa , Maharashtra and Kakinada Bay

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As filter feeders, they feed during high tide using their siphons, which extend to the sand surface to collect microscopic organisms and particulates from the water column. Ingested particles, containing both organic and inorganic matter, are either digested in the gut or expelled as faecal pellets. In addition sand particles, together with other unwanted particles such as viruses, bacteria, and pollutants, will be trapped in different organs such as the gills, gut, and adductor muscles (Richards 1988, Savari et al. , When the clams are sold for human consumption, the tissues that contain sand can be unpleasant to eat and also pose a health risk. As a common practice the clams are, therefore, allowed to clean themselves in clean seawater (i.e., depuration) to remove the sand in their body .

Clams, being filter-feeders that burrow into sand, tend to accumulate sand in their body tissues. Depuration reduces the clams' gut contents and eliminates sand from different body fractions, providing some cleansing and ensuring that they are safe for human consumption..