## 3 Results and Discussion
### Sensory Properties  
To assess the commercial potential of these plants, an organoleptic evaluation was conducted by a trained sensory panel comprising highly acclaimed chefs, many of whom were awarded Michelin stars. This approach aimed to identify the plant with the most desirable sensory characteristics. Employing the quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) method, the chefs defined the relevant sensory attributes for evaluation. Each chef received a set of plants grown at varying salinity levels and evaluated them based on predetermined parameters, which included saltiness, bitterness, crunchiness, juiciness, fibre content, visual appearance, and plant length. The responses were ranked and statistically analysed, with the results for species _D. crassifolium_ and _S. maritima_ presented in Figure 3. Results concerning the other two species were previously published in [PERSON] et al. [12].  
Despite a wide range in cultivation salinity (35-465 mmol L\({}^{-1}\)), most sensory attributes of the analysed halophyte plant samples displayed subtle differences. This aligns with previous findings by [PERSON] et al. [12] for _M. nodiforum_ and _I. crithmoides_ grown under similar salinity variations, using the same sensory attributes, quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) method, and trained tasters. As in [PERSON] et al. [12], the most noticeable sensory differences between salt concentration in the cultivating medium were observed for prominent attributes like salty and bitter tastes in both species, although attributes like crunchiness and juiciness were also discriminant of salinity in _S. maritima_. The most pronounced sensory changes occurred in this species, with the plants grown at the lowest salinity tested scoring poorer for all attributes except juiciness. Notably, the \"crunchiness\" attribute had the lowest average score. These results are supported by other studies that showed that increasing cultivation salinity intensifies saltness, while lower salinities enhance firmness but reduce juiciness and affect colour [12,41]. Moreover, [PERSON] et al. [42] reported that higher salinity reduces the content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids and proteins, directly impacting the texture, liquid retention, taste, and juiciness of samples grown at the highest NaCl concentration (450 mmol L\({}^{-1}\)). Common to both tested species was the fact that the intermediate salinities tested had the best scores in \"Global Appreciation\". The scores of juiciness, crunchiness, and amount of fibre contributed the most to these results. The accumulation of osmolytes and succulence mechanisms to maintain the cell turgor pressure under higher saline conditions are strategies adopted by various halophytic plants for ion and osmotic homeostasis, explaining the general increasing juiciness and crunchiness attributes of plants used in the present work as salinity increases, particularly in _D. crassifolium_. [PERSON] et al. [12] also found that _I. crithmoides_ and _M. nodiforum_ grown at intermediate concentrations of NaCl performed better.  
In summary, lower salinities applied in soilless cultivation systems provide a more balanced organoleptic profile for halophyte species.