Influence of cultivation salinity in the nutritional composition, antioxidant capacity and microbial quality of Salicornia ramosissima commercially produced in soilless systems.

The consumption of halophytes as healthy gourmet food has increased considerably in the past few years. However, knowledge on the nutritional profile of domesticated halophytes is scarce and little is known on which cultivation conditions can produce plants with the best nutritional and functional properties. In this context, Salicornia ramosissima J. Woods was cultivated in six different salt concentrations, ranging from 35 to 465 mM of NaCl. Both the nutritional profile, the antioxidant capacity, and microbial quality of the produced plants were evaluated including minerals and vitamins. Salt has a marked effect on growth, which decreases for salinities higher than 110 mM. Nonetheless, plants cultivated with intermediate levels of salinity (110 and 200 mM) revealed better antioxidant status with higher amounts of phenolic compounds. Overall, results from this paper indicated that soilless culture systems using low-intermediate salinities produces S. ramosissima plants fit for commercialization and human consumption.

Wild vs cultivated halophytes: Nutritional and functional differences.

Some halophyte plants are currently used in gourmet cuisine due to their unique organoleptic properties. Moreover, they exhibit excellent nutritional and functional properties, being rich in polyphenolics and vitamins. These compounds are associated to strong antioxidant activity and enhanced health benefits. This work compared the nutritional properties and antioxidant potential of three species (Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum, Suaeda maritima and Sarcocornia fruticosa) collected in saltmarshes from Portugal and Spain with those of cultivated plants. The latter were generally more succulent and had higher contents of minerals than plants obtained from the wild and contained less fibre. All species assayed are a good source of proteins, fibres and minerals. Additionally, they are good sources of carotenoids and vitamins A, C and B6 and showed good antioxidant potential particularly S. maritima. Chromatographic analysis of the phenolic profile revealed that ferulic and caffeic acids as the most relevant phenolic compounds detected in the halophytes tested.

Phenolic Profile, Toxicity, Enzyme Inhibition, In Silico Studies, and Antioxidant Properties of Cakile maritima Scop. (Brassicaceae) from Southern Portugal.

Cakile maritima Scop. (sea rocket) is an edible halophyte plant with several ethnomedicinal uses. This work reports the chemical profile and bioactivities of food grade extracts from sea rocket organs. Toxicity was determined on mammalian cells, and phenolic profiling and the quantitation of the main metabolites were made by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Enzymatic inhibition was determined towards acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase (AChE, BuChE), α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and tyrosinase. Docking studies were performed to tyrosinase, on the major metabolites, and samples were tested for antioxidant properties. Extracts were not toxic, were constituted mainly by flavonoids, and some compounds (roseoside and oleuropein) are here described for the first time in the species. The aerial organs' ethanol extract had relevant activity towards 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH, half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) = 0.59 mg/mL], and ferric-reducing activity power (FRAP, IC50 = 0.99 mg/mL). All samples were more active towards AChE than on BuChE. The ethanol fruits' extract inhibited α-glucosidase [2.19 mmol of equivalent of acarbose (ACAE)/g]. Samples were active against tyrosinase, especially the aerial organs' ethanol extracts [25.9 mg of equivalent of kojic acid (KAE)/g]. Quercetin and kaempferol glycosides fit well into the enzymatic pocket of tyrosinase. Our results suggest sea rocket as a candidate to be further explored as a source of bioactive products.