Towards the Sustainable Exploitation of Salt-Tolerant Plants: Nutritional Characterisation, Phenolics Composition, and Potential Contaminants Analysis of Salicornia ramosissima and Sarcocornia perennis alpini

Increasing soil salinisation represents a serious threat to food security, and therefore the exploitation of high-yielding halophytes, such as Salicornia and Sarcocornia, needs to be considered not merely in arid regions but worldwide. In this study, Salicornia ramosissima and Sarcocornia perennis alpini were evaluated for nutrients, bioactive compounds, antioxidant capacity, and contaminants. Both were shown to be nutritionally relevant, exhibiting notable levels of crude fibre and ash, i.e., 11.26-15.34 and 39.46-40.41% dry weight (dw), respectively, and the major minerals were Na, K, and Mg. Total phenolics thereof were 67.05 and 38.20 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g extract dw, respectively, mainly p-coumaric acid and quercetin. Both species displayed antioxidant capacity, but S. ramossima was prominent in both the DPPH and ss-carotene bleaching assays. Aflatoxin B1 was detected in S. ramosissima, at 5.21 mu g/Kg dw, which may pose a health threat. The Cd and Pb levels in both were low, but the 0.01 mg/Kg Hg in S. perennis alpini met the maximum legal limit established for marine species including algae. Both species exhibit high potential for use in the agro-food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical sectors, but specific regulations and careful cultivation strategies need to be implemented, in order to minimise contamination risks by mycotoxins and heavy metals.

Automated summary

Increasing soil salinisation poses a serious threat to food security, thus the utilization of high-yielding halophytes like Salicornia and Sarcocornia should be considered globally, not just in arid regions. This study evaluated the nutritional value, bioactive compounds, antioxidant capacity, and contaminants of Salicornia ramosissima and Sarcocornia perennis alpini. Both species were found to be nutritionally significant, containing high levels of crude fibre and ash, with major minerals being Na, K, and Mg. Both also demonstrated antioxidant capacity, with Salicornia ramosissima performing better in DPPH and ss-carotene bleaching assays. Specific regulations and careful cultivation strategies are needed to minimize contamination risks by mycotoxins and heavy metals, although both species show high potential in the agro-food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical sectors.