The Bioconcentration and the Translocation of Heavy Metals in Recently Consumed Salicornia ramosissima J. Woods in Highly Contaminated Estuary Marshes and Its Food Risk

Abstract

Salicornia species are halophyte plants that are an important source for food, pharmacy, and bioenergy. They can be consumed as a leafy vegetable, but they can accumulate heavy metals that carry a health risk when knowledge of how each species behaves in different types of soil is lacking. This present work aimed to determine to what extent S. ramosissima can be cultivated as food in estuaries contaminated by heavy metals and to what extent it can be used in phytoremediation works, by studying its behavior in populations that grow naturally in contaminated soils. We analyzed accumulation and translocation in different parts of the plant for 14 heavy metals and calculated the Health Risk Index value associated with their consumption as a leafy vegetable. The results obtained mean that the S. ramosissima plants that grow in most of the soils of this estuary are unfit for human consumption in some of the populations studied. In conclusion, Salicornia ramosissima J. Woods can accumulate Cd, As, and Pb—among other metals—in its leaves so its consumption should be limited to plants that grow in soils free of these metals.

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

“…However, with climate change, phenomena such as forest fires have intensified dramatically in Portugal, and a direct relationship has been documented between the mobilisation and accumulation of elements such as Hg, Mn, and Zn in ecosystems and the occurrence of these events [ 84 , 85 ], which could ultimately lead to a greater accumulation of these HMs in the species under study. Finally, as shown in the studies by Yang et al [ 86 ] and Sanjosé et al [ 72 ], in the case of specimens from highly contaminated areas, the risk of accumulation by HMs at levels that represent a health risk is real and should not be overlooked. Hence, the introduction of specific legislation for halophytes is a fundamental step to guarantee the safety of their consumption.…”

“…Barreira et al [ 12 ] also reported an important variation in the concentration of the different HMs in Salicornia and Sarcocornia species, even when differences in environmental factors were minimal. These differences may be related to factors such as, among others: (i) differences in the life cycle, as S. ramosissima is annual and S. perennis alpini is perennial, and as a consequence, the metabolic requirements for certain macronutrients and micronutrients at the time of harvest may differ; (ii) the presence of root exudates, which can improve the solubility of certain HMs and thus increase their accumulation [ 72 ]; and (iii) differences in the microbiome [ 73 ]. The order of HM concentrations determined in this study for S. ramosissima was Mn > Zn > Cr > Cu > Co > Ni > Cd > Pb > Hg, whilst that for S. perennis alpini was Mn > Zn > Ni > Cr > Cu > Co > Pb > Cd > Hg.…”

Pollution pressure drives microbial assemblages that improve the phytoremediation potential of heavy metals by Ricinus communis

“…The accumulation of Cd in stems was 0.08 ± 0.04 mg/kg and 0.06 ± 0.01 mg/kg for RM and GM but the difference between both treatments did not reach statistical significance ( p < 0.05), respectively, no accumulation was detected Cd in leaves. The Bioaccumulation Factor (BF) is defined as the correlation between the quantity of HMs accumulated in various plant components and the concentration of HMs in the soil (Sanjosé et al 2022 ), RM showed a BF of 1.79 for Pb. At the same time, GM exhibited a BF of 0.94.…”

Arthrocnemum Moq.: Unlocking Opportunities for Biosaline Agriculture and Improved Human Nutrition

“…However, caution is advised, as some authors recommend avoiding the use of the green stems of Salicornia species that grow in estuaries with high heavy metal content, such as those in the Tinto and Odiel Rivers [ 51 ]. Our ICP-MS analyses on succulent stems and inflorescences of Arthrocnemum align with these recommendations, revealing high contents of heavy metals such as Pb and Cr.…”