## 3 Results and Discussion
### Phytochemical Characterization and Bioactivity
#### 3.3.2 Integrating the Nutritional, Phytochemical, and Bioactivity Parameters  
The diversity of the halophyte species, regarding the nutritional, phytochemical (total contents), and bioactivity parameters, can be summarized through multivariate analysis, namely, by partial least square-discriminant analysis (Figures 1 and 2). For data systematization, the phenolic compounds were classified into different families. The ones only quantified in one species were excluded from the multivariate analysis. Concerning the nutritional and the phytochemical composition, as shown in Figure 1, the most different species, occupying an external position on the score plot, were _S. fruticosa_, _S. rnmossissima_, and _M. crystallinum_. Based on the established correlations between the analyzed parameters and the defined groups (Figure 2), along with the first factor, the position of the _S. fruticosa_ in the left-extreme corner of the plot was explained by its lowest moisture content and highest content in protein, fibre, ash, salt, chlorides, minerals (Na, K, Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cu), TPC, flavanol, flavonoid, and antioxidant activity parameters (ORAC and HOSC assays). These last in vitro antioxidant parameters, ORAC and HOSC, were highly correlated to the TPC value (Pearson's R of 0.945 and 0.968, respectively, Table S1--Supplementary Materials). The highest moisture content in plants _M. crystallinum_ and _D. crassidium_ conjugated with their lowest protein, energy, fibre, ash, salt, chlorides, Na, K, Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cu, TPC, flavanol, and flavonoid contents, as well as to their lowest antioxidant activity (ORAC and HOSC assays), justifies the position of _M. crystallinum_ and _D. crassidium_ in the right side of the horizontal first factor axis. On the first quadrant, along the second factor, the upper position of the _S. rnmossissima_ plant could be attributed to the highest hydroxybenzoic acids (HBA) content, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PFA) contents, and their high antihypertensiveactivity (represented as the inverse values of the ACE inhibitor activity). In the diametrically opposite position, along the second factor, _C. maritiimum_ was distinguished from the remaining samples based on the highest fat and monounsaturated fatty acids (MFA), hydroxycinammic acids (HCA), and flavone contents. From the set of studied halophyte species, _M. nodiforum_ and _S. fruticosa_ are not only different in terms of the total phenolic content (Sections 3.3 and 3.3.1) but also opposed in their individual phenolic composition, Table S1--Supplementary Materials. The halophytes _S. fruticosa_ and _M. nodiforum_ had the most contrasting phenolic profiles. While in _M. nodiforum_, the hydroxybenzoic acids, compounds **37**, **63**, **85**, and **91**; the hydroxycinammic acids, compounds **18**, **19**, **39**, **84**, and **94**; the flavonoids, compounds **10** and **51**; the flavonoids, compounds **27**, **69**, and **72**; the flavones, compounds **42** and **87**; and the flavanones, compounds **33**, **49**, and **92** were the most abundant compounds, in _S. fruticosa_ the most relevant compounds were the hydroxybenzoic acid, compound 3; the hydroxycinnamic acids, compounds **1**, **8**, **15**, **23**, **30**, **32**, **44**, **71**, **75**, and **77**; the flavanol, compound **55**; the flavonoids, compounds 36 and 65; the flavanone, compound 48; and the flavone, compound **59**. Whilst _I. crithmoides_ had a relatively higher abundance of specific hydroxybenzoic acids, C4, C6, and C17; hydroxycinammic acids, C8, C21, C43, C44, C66, and C81; flavonoids, C7 (flavonol), C31 (flavanone), C52 (flavanol), and C76 (flavone); and monocarboxylic acid, C57, _C. maritiumn_ was particularly rich in the hydroxybenzoic acid, C2; hydroxycinnamic acids, C11, C12, C15, C34, C38, C41, and C78;flavonols, C45 and C53; and flavones, C60 and C68, Table S1--Supplementary Materials. _S. rnmossissima_ was characterized by a high abundance of the hydroxybenzoic acid C9; hydroxycinammic acids C22, C40, C61, C67, C74, and C80; and the flavonol C82. In _D.