Effect of Saline-Nutrient Solution on Yield, Quality, and Shelf-Life of Sea Fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.) Plants

Abstract

In this study, the effect of salinity (150 mM NaCl) compared to a control (9 mM NaCl) on growth, quality and shelf-life of fresh-cut sea fennel was evaluated. For that, sea fennel plants were cultivated in a hydroponic floating system and the sea fennel leaves were stored for 12 days at 5 °C. At harvest, leaves from plants grown in salinity had a lower content of NO3−, K+ and Ca2+ and an increased Cl− and Na+ concentration when compared to the control. There was a positive effect in the aerial part with increased fresh weight due to salt stress, but a reduction in the root biomass. During storage, weight loss and colour changes were not significant while leaves’ firmness was higher for control and increased during storage, probably due to lignification. Microbial growth (psychrophiles, yeast and moulds and enterobacteria) was higher at harvest for control and increased during storage, with no differences between treatments after 12 days at 5 °C. Sensory quality was similar for both treatments but leaves from NaCl treatment had a salty taste that was easily detected by panelists. These results show that saline-nutrient solution applied in hydroponics is a suitable system for sea fennel growth. It gives a slightly salty but high-quality product, acceptable as a “ready-to-eat” vegetable.

Chemical Profiling of Sea Fennel (Crithmum maritimum L., Apiaceae) Essential Oils and Their Isolation Residual Waste-Waters

“…Previous studies and revisions pointed out the richness of sea fennel in biologically active and nutritionally valuable compounds such as phenolic compounds [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 8 , 10 , 12 , 14 , 19 ], vitamin C [ 4 , 12 ], minerals (mainly calcium) [ 3 , 10 , 14 , 36 , 37 , 38 ], organic acids [ 36 ], carotenoids [ 10 ], carbohydrates [ 36 , 37 ], fatty acids, proteins, dietary fibers [ 36 ], etc. Among the constituents that sea fennel contains, phenolic compounds are the most widely investigated because they are secondary plant metabolites with a wide range of structures and positive biological functions.…”

“…Numerous studies investigated sea fennel as a low-cost raw material with great nutritional value and functional properties to obtain natural, bioactive and health-promoting food ingredients [ 3 , 4 ]. Sea fennel is rich in various bioactive compounds with a recognized spectrum of different positive properties that have been investigated in previously published studies, such as antioxidant [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ], antibacterial [ 6 , 7 , 10 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ], antifungal [ 5 , 10 , 17 , 18 ], cytotoxic [ 4 , 18 ], anticancer [ 19 ], anti-inflammatory [ 4 , 5 ], antimutagenic [ 17 ], cholinesterase inhibitory [ 8 , 9 ], vasodilatory [ 9 ], and anti-parasitic [ 20 ] properties. In most of these studies, no matter if the authors were investigating sea fennel EO or non-volatile extracts, the dominant compounds in sea fennel isolates were the main contributors of the evaluated activity.…”

Biodegradable Food Packaging of Wild Rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia L. [DC.]) and Sea Fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.) Grown in a Cascade Cropping System for Short Food Supply Chain

“…On 25 May 2022, thinning was done to reach a final plant density of 256 plants m −2 . The tap water of each bed was replaced, one month after sowing, with 200 L of the following treatments: 'Peat leach' = 100% peat leachate (pH 7.9, EC 3.6 dS m −1 ), 'Compost leach' (pH 7.7, EC 3.1 dS m −1 ) = 100% compost leachate (both collected from wild rocket crop), and 'Control' = 100% NS on which the concentration of every nutrient was 0.6 strength of that used for rocket crop cultivation (pH 7, EC 2.3 dS m −1 ), in order to ensure comparability with previous results [26]. The average DLI during sea fennel cultivation was 14.9 mol m −2 d −1 , while the lowest, highest, and average air temperatures inside the greenhouse were 14.0, 43.2, and 27.1 • C, respectively.…”

“…The sensory analysis was performed by a trained panel according to international specifications (ASTM STP 913, 1986) in a standardised room (UNE-EN ISO 8589 2007) equipped with ten testing boxes as described by Amoruso et al [26]. The panel developed a vocabulary of sensory attributes including visual appearance, colour, dehydration, aroma, flavour, and texture.…”

Bacillus subtilis Promotes Cucumber Growth and Quality under Higher Nutrient Solution by Altering the Rhizospheric Microbial Community

“…Increasing nutrient solution concentration in soilless culture can improve plant quality, but higher salinity in nutrition solutions declined the osmotic ability of environment water and resulted in reduce water uptake by plants, which is beneficial to the accumulation of soluble solids. The saline-nutrient solution applied in hydroponics is a suitable system for sea fennel growth, which gives a slightly salty but high-quality product [ 3 ]. The total soluble solid and lycopene concentration of tomato fruits increased with increasing electrical conductivity levels [ 4 ].…”