Manipulating the antioxidant capacity of halophytes to increase their cultural and economic value through saline cultivation

Abstract

Halophytes, salt-tolerant plants, are a source of valuable secondary metabolites with potential as functional foods or nutraceuticals. We are interested in finding the optimal cultivation conditions for increasing the contents of these valuable compounds. Growth conditions away from the optimum can induce stress resulting in changes in secondary metabolites. We analyzed metabolites with antioxidant capacity in seedlings and plants from different families and habitats grown under different salt concentrations. We show that it is possible to manipulate the antioxidant capacity of plants and seedlings by altering the saline growing environment, the length of time under saline cultivation and the developmental stage.

Salt stress reveals differential antioxidant and energetics responses in glycophyte (Brassica juncea L.) and halophyte (Sesuvium portulacastrum L.)

“…Significant research has been conducted to establish that antioxidant defense is important for maintaining proper plant growth under different abiotic stress conditions, especially halophytes (Boestfleisch et al, 2014;Canalejo et al, 2014;Yildiztugay et al, 2014). In the same line, to see how the stress imposition and oxidative stress in two plant species (glycophytes and halophyte) affected their antioxidant metabolism and vice versa, activities of enzymatic antioxidant and levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants were measured.…”

Antioxidant Molecules and Enzymes and Their Relevance to the Salt Adaptation of Halophytes

“…Polyphenols, such as flavonoids and anthocyanins, are another group of water-soluble antioxidants with a high ability to scavenge ROS. There are many reports of polyphenol accumulation and enhanced antioxidant ability in halophytes (Ksouri et al 2012;Boestfleisch et al 2014;Qasim et al 2017). Halophyte extracts had much higher total phenolic and flavonoid contents than non-halophytes (Qasim et al 2017;Ksouri et al 2012).…”

Study of the Efficacy of Two Extraction Techniques from <i>Crithmum maritimum</i> and<i> Salicornia europaea</i>

“…It is known that content of polyphenols and other bioactive compounds in halophytes vary widely according to species, location, growing conditions and harvest season of the plants [40,41]. Boestfleisch et al [42] also demonstrated that altering the saline growing environment it is possible to increase the concentration of valuable secondary metabolites of halophytes, so as to behave like authentic large-scale natural reactors. Values are means of three replications ± standard deviation.…”