## 4 Discussion  
Halophytes are widely recognized to be well-adapted and thrive under saline environments, developing different morphological, anatomical, and physiological strategies ([PERSON], 2017). The added value of culturing halophytes using aquaculture effluents has already been demonstrated through irrigation ([PERSON], 2017), constructed wetlands ([PERSON], 2017), and IMTA sys  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Fatty Acids**} & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Wild**} \\ \cline{2-7}  & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Edible Plant Part**} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Root**} \\ \cline{2-7}  & **Spring** & **Summer** & **Autumnumn{1}{c}{**Spring**} & **Summer** & **Autumn** \\ \hline
**16:0** & 2.83 \(\pm\) 0.13 & 2.75 \(\pm\) 0.17 & 1.54 \(\pm\) 0.02 & 0.90 \(\pm\) 0.01 & 0.72 \(\pm\) 0.01 &  
tems [12; 14; 22]. Other studies on the use of halophytes in IMTA systems, for nutrient uptake and remediation of aquaculture effluents have also provided promising results [14; 22; 37]. In the present study we build upon the potential of the three halophytes, _H. portulacoides, S. ramossissima_, and S. _perennis_, cultured in an aquaponics system, to bioremediate the pool of dissolved inorganic nutrients and further evaluate their potential for valorization, though the fatty acid profile as an indicator of their nutritional value. As extractive species for dissolved inorganic nutrients it would be expected for them to have a net decrease in the nutrient's concentration in the outlets of each halophyte's aquaponics tank, namely during the growing season due to its incorporation into halophytes biomass. However, this was not the case for DIP as other sources, such as mineralization of organic dissolved mater, a temperature-dependent process, might have contributed to mask the uptake od phosphorus by the halophyte plants being cultured. Nevertheless, there is still room to enhance the valorization potential of this practice if the nutritional properties of cultured specimens is shown to be at least comparable to that of conspecifics in the wild. The FA profile of the halophytes cultured under aquaponics conditions differ significantly from that of wild specimens from donor sites. The presence of high levels of omega-3 and omega-6 FA in edible part and roots, respectively, highlight the nutritional value of these halophytes when cultured under aquaponics conditions. The FA profile of the three species, _H. portulacoides, S. ramossissima_, and S. _perennis_, considering both wild plants and specimens cultured in aquaponics, were dominated by three main FAs: palmitic (16:0), LA (18:2_n_-6), and ALA (18:3_n_-3). Both the omega-3 ALA and the omega-6 LA are known to be essential FA for humans [20; 38], as they cannot be synthetized de novo and play a key role for human health [15; 39]. Being the main precursor of several longer chain and more unsaturated omega-3 FAs, such as EPA and DHA [19; 20], ALA is considered an adequate food source to supply and maintain the adequate levels of DHA in mammals [40]. EPA and DHA are paramount for a number of vital organ functions and intracellular activities [39]. According to previous studies, C18 FAs are the most representative FAs in halophytes, with S. ramossissima with 39.60% (of total FA) of ALA and 20.02% (of total FA) of LA and _H. portulacoides_ with 43.53% (of total FA) of ALA and 14.21% (of total FA) of LA [17]; _Salicornia persica_ with 48.28% (of total FA) of ALA and 1.72% (of total FA) of LA and _Sarcocornia fructicosa_ with 44.17% (of total FA) of ALA and 1.46% (of total FA) of LA [25] (see Supplementary Material Tables S1-S6 FA profile presented as percentages of relative abundance). In the present study, the three halophytes cultured in aquaponics revealed a high content of ALA in the edible part of the plant during summer and autumn, compared to that displayed by conspecifics in the wild, highlighting the nutritional value as an edible vegetable. The significant increase in ALA content in cultured halophytes may be due to the high salinity.