Functional Food from Endangered Ecosystems: Atriplex portulacoides as a Case Study

Abstract

Biodiversity is a reservoir of potential sources of novel food and feed ingredients with suitable compositions for the improvement of the diet and well-being of humans and farmed animals. The halophyte Atriplex portulacoides occurs in habitats that are exposed to seawater inundations, and shows biochemical adaptations to saline and oxidative stresses. Its composition includes long chain lipids, sterols, phenolic compounds, glutathione and carotenoids. These organic compounds and micronutrients, such as Fe, Zn, Co and Cu, make this plant suitable as an optimal functional food that is potentially able to reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory processes in humans and animals. Indeed, many of these compounds have a protective activity in humans against cardiovascular pathologies, cancer, and degenerative processes related to aging. The analysis of its history as food and forage, which dates back thousands of years, attests that it can be safely consumed. Here, the limits of its chemical and microbiological contamination are suggested in order to comply with the European regulations. The productivity of A. portulacoides in natural environments, and its adaptability to non-saline soils, make it a potential crop of high economic interest.

LED Lighting and High-Density Planting Enhance the Cost-Efficiency of Halimione Portulacoides Extraction Units for Integrated Aquaculture

“…This paper focuses on the species Halimione portulacoides (L.) Aellen (a.k.a. sea purslane), an edible halophyte relatively widespread throughout European and Mediterranean saltmarshes with traditional human uses [15] whose aquaculture and nutritional potential has only recently been scientifically explored [16][17][18][19][20][21]. These first studies showed that H. portulacoides has one of the highest productivity rates among studied halophytes in saline hydroponic conditions and can contribute to the substantial removal of dissolved inorganic N and P, up to a rate of approximately 4.0 mg N g −1 and 0.4 mg P g −1 [16].…”

Sea Purslane as an Emerging Food Crop: Nutritional and Biological Studies

“…This plant is dispersed along the coast of the Iberian Peninsula, and the prevalence in the Portuguese estuaries is at Tagus and Ria de Aveiro salt marches [7][8][9][10]. With a controversial taxon background, Atriplex portulacoides is also acknowledged as a senior synonym of Halimione portulacoides in the International Plant Names Index [11]. This plant is characterized as a shrub, reaching up to 1.5 m in height (Figure 1).…”

“…The lipophilic fraction of H. portulacoides leaves from estuarine environments of Portugal is mainly composed of long-chain aliphatic acids (e.g., octacosanoic, triacontanoic, oleic, hexadecanoic, and linoleic) and alcohols (e.g., octacosanol, hexacosanol, and triancontanol) (both in the C16-C30 range) while containing smaller amounts of sterols, such as schottenol, sitosterol, and sitostanol. Furthermore, the environmental stresses induce in a plant the synthesis of a wide range of phenolic compounds, such as sulfated flavonoids, particularly derivatives of isorhamnetin-sulfate and carotenoids (such as zeaxanthin, βcarotene, lutein, auroxanthin, violaxanthin, and antheraxanthin) [11,[14][15][16][17][18]. These confer important biological properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-trombotic, and anti-cancerogenic activities [4,11,18].…”

“…Furthermore, the environmental stresses induce in a plant the synthesis of a wide range of phenolic compounds, such as sulfated flavonoids, particularly derivatives of isorhamnetin-sulfate and carotenoids (such as zeaxanthin, βcarotene, lutein, auroxanthin, violaxanthin, and antheraxanthin) [11,[14][15][16][17][18]. These confer important biological properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-trombotic, and anti-cancerogenic activities [4,11,18]. Furthermore, H. portulacoides leaves are a good source of protein and important dietary minerals, namely Mg, K, Ca, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn [9,11,[19][20][21].…”

“…These confer important biological properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-trombotic, and anti-cancerogenic activities [4,11,18]. Furthermore, H. portulacoides leaves are a good source of protein and important dietary minerals, namely Mg, K, Ca, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn [9,11,[19][20][21]. The nutritional and biochemical profiles of the plant responsible for its positive effects on human health increase its interest as a new vegetable, especially as a premium food in the novel "salty veggies" market [13].…”