Impact of Drying Processes on the Nutritional Composition, Volatile Profile, Phytochemical Content and Bioactivity of Salicornia ramosissima J. Woods

Abstract

Salicornia ramosissima J. Woods is a halophyte plant recognized as a promising natural ingredient and will eventually be recognized a salt substitute (NaCl). However, its shelf-life and applicability in several food matrices requires the use of drying processes, which may have an impact on its nutritional and functional value. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of oven and freeze-drying processes on the nutritional composition, volatile profile, phytochemical content, and bioactivity of S. ramosissima using several analytical tools (LC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS and SPME-GC-MS) and bioactivity assays (ORAC, HOSC, and ACE inhibition and antiproliferative effect on HT29 cells). Overall, results show that the drying process changes the chemical composition of the plant. When compared to freeze-drying, the oven-drying process had a lower impact on the nutritional composition but the phytochemical content and antioxidant capacity were significantly reduced. Despite this, oven-dried and freeze-dried samples demonstrated similar antiproliferative (17.56 mg/mL and 17.24 mg/mL, respectively) and antihypertensive (24.56 mg/mL and 18.96 mg/mL, respectively) activities. The volatile composition was also affected when comparing fresh and dried plants and between both drying processes: while for the freeze-dried sample, terpenes corresponded to 57% of the total peak area, a decrease to 17% was observed for the oven-dried sample. The oven-dried S. ramosissima was selected to formulate a ketchup and the product formulated with 2.2% (w/w) of the oven-dried plant showed a good consumer acceptance score. These findings support the use of dried S. ramosissima as a promising functional ingredient that can eventually replace the use of salt.

A Review on Sarcocornia Species: Ethnopharmacology, Nutritional Properties, Phytochemistry, Biological Activities and Propagation

“…Wild S. fruticosa collected in Spain and Portugal also had high moisture contents, especially the cultivated plants (92%) [36]. Such moisture levels are in line with those reported for Salicornia species, including S. ramosissima [13,37,38], S. bigelovii [39] and lettuce [40]. The moisture level impacts shelf life and the consumption quality of fresh vegetables and may also influence food safety [41].…”

“…The ash levels of S. fruticosa were also high, ranging from 28.9% (dw) in wild plants collected in Spain to 43.3% (dw) in cultivated plants [36]. The Sarcocornia ash levels are similar to those observed for S. ramosissima collected in Southern Portugal (29.2% dw) [13], but lower than the same species sampled in Aveiro (Portugal) (41-44.2%, dw) [38], which may be related with the mineral composition of the soils from which the plants were collected. In general, the ash levels of Sarcocornia were higher than those reported for lettuce grown in both hydroponics (1.18%, dw) and soil (1.32%, dw) [47].…”

“…Sodium was the prevalent mineral in S. perennis perennis and S. perennis alpini shoots collected in Southern Portugal (approximately 64 mg/g, dw) along with K, Mg, Ca and Fe [13]. The Na levels of those Sarcocornia species were lower than that detected in S. ramosissima (89.9 mg/g) collected in the same location [13] and in Aveiro, Portugal (114-147 mg/g) [38]. Antunes et al [56] also considered Na the primary mineral (16%) in wild S. perennis perennis from Southern Portugal.…”

“…Wild plants are exposed to natural stress conditions, including fluctuations in temperature, salinity, and UV radiation, compared to cultivated ones grown in controlled conditions, which may explain their higher protein content [35]. The total protein levels of Sarcocornia are generally in the range, or higher, of those found in S. ramosissima collected in Southern Portugal (5.20%, dw) [13] and Aveiro (8.48-13.4%, dw) [38], and much higher than the reported average contents of green leaf lettuce (1.4%, fw) [52].…”

Bioactive Compounds in Sarcocornia and Arthrocnemum, Two Wild Halophilic Genera from the Iberian Peninsula

“…Halophytes live in extremely harsh environments with high salinities and UV radiation, and these stressful conditions lead to the production of secondary metabolites such as the phenolic compounds in different concentrations [ 25 ]. The mere fact of detecting these total phenolic compounds emphasizes the antioxidant capacity of the halophytes in the study [ 26 , 27 , 28 ] and demonstrates that Sarcocornia and Arthrocnemum have a potential food use.…”