ABSTRACT
Oysters are bivalve mollusks. They belong to the family of Oysteredae and habitats of both marine and brackish waters. There are two varieties of oysters seen in nature. They are classified as: Edible and non-edible. The well-known Indian edible oyster is Crassostrea madrasensis, seen all over Indian coast line particularly abundantly in the East coast of India. Oysters have a high shelf life if kept stored alive in ambient waters. Oysters are seen often infested with parasites, pathogenic microorganisms and contaminated with heavy toxic metals depending on the conditions of environments where oysters are naturally grown or farmed. Taurine is seen in very high amounts in oyster meat. Oyster meat has excellent antioxidant properties. It is attributed to the high content of glutathione in the oyster meat. Oyster meat is best source for natural zinc. Oyster extract contains good quantity arginine. Oyster meat contains several fatty-acids, particularly the odd numbered saturated ones.
