Metabolomic Profile of Salicornia perennis Plant’s Organs under Diverse In Situ Stress: The Ria de Aveiro Salt Marshes Case

Abstract

Salicornia perennis is a halophyte belonging to the botanical subfamily Salicornioideae that forms extensive perennial salt marsh patches. This subfamily has excellent potential, still unexplored, as a source of food, medicine, and phytoremediation. This study aimed to evaluate the lipophilic composition of the Salicornia perennis different organs inhabiting salt marshes of Ria de Aveiro under different stress regimes. For this purpose, the lipophilic content was extracted with hexane and subsequent GC-MS analysis of the extracts for each plant organ, which was collected in three different salt marshes of the Ria de Aveiro. High sugar content was detected in the stems, whereas in fruiting articles, the higher content was in fatty acids. Shorter-chain organic acids were concentrated in the stems and vegetative articles; waxes were detected in greater quantity in photosynthetic organs. More or less stressful environments induce changes in the ratio and composition of molecules, such as acclimatization and oxidative stress reduction strategies; for example, fatty acid content was higher in plants subjected to a higher stress regime. These data contribute to understand the metabolic pathways of the species under study, suggesting new research approaches to its potential as food, medicine, and phytoremediator.

Bioactive Extracts from Salicornia ramosissima J. Woods Biorefinery as a Source of Ingredients for High-Value Industries

“…The results are aligned to those previously reported for other Salicornia spp., as Alassali et al [ 11 ] found 61.1% ash content of S. sinus-persica juice, and Christiansen et al [ 12 ] reported more than 80% of the total ash from the fresh S. bigelovii was recovered in the juice fraction after screw press. Changes in cultivation salinity do not only affect the ash content of plants but may also change the metabolism of sugars and lipids, which has been previously shown by Hulkko et al [ 13 ] and Duan et al [ 52 ] for S. europaea and Magni et al [ 53 ] for Salicornia perennis . The DM from lignified plants had a lower ash content than fibre residue from partly lignified plants, but rinsing with water could have removed some of the salts from the biomass surface.…”

“…For example, condensed tannins, also called proanthocyanidins, and other flavonoids have been associated with a protective effect on plants exposed to abiotic stresses such as intensive UV radiation, drought and cold temperatures [ 62 ]. High temperatures and waterlogging (flooded conditions) have also been reported to increase the amount of bioactive compounds, as exposure to these conditions includes the production of free radicals [ 15 , 53 ]. Significant differences in chemical composition can be observed between plants harvested even within the same region [ 53 ].…”

“…High temperatures and waterlogging (flooded conditions) have also been reported to increase the amount of bioactive compounds, as exposure to these conditions includes the production of free radicals [ 15 , 53 ]. Significant differences in chemical composition can be observed between plants harvested even within the same region [ 53 ]. Duan et al [ 52 ] showed S. europaea cultivated under increased salinity to be enriched in phenolic acids and flavonoids in roots and aerial parts and exhibiting upregulation in bioactive compounds, including protocatechuic acid, quercetin and kaempferol derivatives, p-coumaric acid, and ferulic acid.…”

Valorization of Salicornia patula Duval-Jouve Young Shoots in Healthy and Sustainable Diets

“…Malic acid is present in five of eight analyzed samples, with ranges between 0.157 and 0.979 g/100 g dw. Other authors suggested malic acid accumulation in other Salicornioideae, like S. perennis from "Mira" (Portugal), under stressful situations, increasing in vegetative stages with high salinity and lower water content [43].…”

Exploring the Potential of Halophyte Biomass for Green Biorefinery Applications

“…The phytochemical content of S. ramosissima and many other halophytes is strongly influenced by cultivation conditions, specifically, the biotic and abiotic stresses the plants have been exposed to [52,61,190,263,264,[322][323][324][325]. Potential halophyte-based biorefinery processes need to be designed to be robust enough to withstand a certain degree of intraspecific variation.…”