Marine gastropods are consumed worldwide due to their nutritional quality, having important economic value in international markets. In the gulfs of Northern Patagonia (Argentina), marine gastropods are captured as complementary resources during bivalve artisanal fisheries. In this study, we determined the biochemical composition during the reproductive cycle of four edible marine gastropods abundant along the South-western Atlantic coast: Odontocymbiola magellanica, Buccinanops deformis, Buccinanops cochlidium and Trophon geversianus. All the studied species presented high protein (36–70.8%), low lipids (0.02–1.50%) and intermediate glycogen content (3.22–14.08%). The main oviposition season was during spring and summer. The mean nutritional values indicate that the species studied provide a good source of nutrients appropriate to the human diet, reaffirming their value as a commercial resource. Taking into account the nutritional contribution and the reproductive season, the best period for the capture of these resources is during summer for O. magellanica and T. geversianus, and during autumn for B. deformis and B. cochlidium. This work will help promote the consumption of Patagonian gastropods while ensuring their responsible capture, contributing to the sustainability of these valuable resources.

Edible marine gastropods are consumed in northern Patagonia without regulations or knowledge of nutritional composition and food quality. We determined total lipids (TL), fatty acid (FA), paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) and metal contamination in six edible marine gastropods: Buccinanops globulosus, B. cochlidium, Trophon geversianus, Odontocymbiola magellanica, Tegula patagonica and Nacella magellanica. TL was lowest in the foot (0.29–0.56%) and maximum in organs (1.43–3.2%), presenting less TL than other edible species around the world. Saturated FA were similar to other consumed marine gastropods worldwide and dominant in all species studied (33.26–48.19%), while monounsaturated FA reached about 30% only in 2 species, but did not exceed 18% in the other species. Polyunsaturated FA reached up to 23.77%, but generally did not exceed 14%. Highly unsaturated FA (AA, EPA and DHA), reached about 27%. The dominant FA was palmitic acid (0.217 to 2.43 µg mg−1).Differences in FA could be related to the different alimentation of the species. Limit of PSP consumption was exceeded in a few months only for two species. Lead was not detectable (<4 µg g−1) while cadmium ranged from 0.07 to 15.32 µg g−1. Our results can be useful to ensure the safety food of these resources, which are being consumed and exported in low quantities in Argentina, but may be commercialized massively in the near future. Monitoring these and other food resources is essential and should be performed in any established fishery of the species reported here to guarantee the safety human consumption.