Nutritional Characterization and Storage Ability of Salicornia ramosissima and Sarcocornia perennis for Fresh Vegetable Salads

Maria Antunes,Thomas Panagopoulos,Adriana Guerreiro,Maria Faleiro,Miriam Julião,Maria Miguel,Ana Sousa,Custódia Gago

doi:10.3390/horticulturae7010006

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study the potential of two halophytes for fresh salads. Sarcocornia perennis (SAR) and Salicornia ramosissima (SAL) plant tips were harvested in May and July, and stored at 4 °C for 14 days. At harvest, mineral analyses (Na, K, Mg, Ca, P, N, Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd), chlorophyll content, protein, β-carotene and ascorbic acid were performed. Color (CIELab), phenolics, antioxidant activity and microbial contamination were measured at harvest and after 14 days storage at 4 °C, and a taste panel evaluated the products. SAL had generally slightly higher values of vitamin C, phenols and carotenoids than SAR. In SAR after 14 days of storage, the levels of phenols and the antioxidant activity were higher than at harvest, both in May and July. The opposite was observed for SAL. In this case, only the antioxidant activity was higher after 14 days of storage. Microbial contamination was very low, not reaching even half of critical limits. Both halophytes had good nutritional value, being suitable for use as fresh salads which can be stored for up to 14 days at 4 °C. SAR seems to be a better source of antioxidants, Ca and Fe than SAL and has less general quality and nutritional value changes from harvest time through cold storage. Fresh tips of both halophytes showed better appearance and nutritional quality when harvested in the early season (May) than at the end of the season (July).

Highlights

IntroductionAround 20% of the world’s agricultural lands and nearly 50% of all irrigated land are affected by soil salinity
Soil salinity is a serious environmental hazard in agriculture
Values in the same row followed by the same lower case, and in the same column followed by the same upper case for the same parameter, are not significantly different by Duncan’s multiple range test (p < 0.05). Both Salicornia ramosissima and Sarcocornia perennis from Ria Formosa (Portugal) are new fresh vegetables for human consumption and can be considered as good sources of nutrients such as Mg, K, P, Ca and Fe. Due to their high Na content, those two halophytes can be valuable for spicing fresh vegetable salads or other foods as a substitute for salt in gourmet cuisine

Summary

Introduction

Around 20% of the world’s agricultural lands and nearly 50% of all irrigated land are affected by soil salinity. Continuous sea-level rise in a warming world threatens increased salinity in coastal lowlands [1]. Some of those areas are naturally saline or have become salinized as a result of improper irrigation practices. Some studies report the use of halophytes cultivated for reclaiming salt-affected soil in arid-zone irrigation areas [2,3]. Woods (Chenopodiaceae)) (SAL) and Sarcocornia (Sarcocornia perennis (Miller) A. J. Scott (Chenopodiaceae)) (SAR) have been introduced into the European market as vegetables with leafless shoots resembling green asparagus [4,5]

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