## 3 Results and Discussion
### Potentially Toxic Elements  
Estuarine environments are extremely affected by anthropogenic-driven contamination, namely, potentially toxic metallic elements metal [53; 62]. However, the use of the soilless cultivation system (SCS) allows for preventing the presence of contamination by toxic metals. Thus, the halophytes displayed lead and cadmium levels (values converted from dried weight to fresh weight according to the moisture content of each species) below 0.3 and 0.2 mg/kg FW, which is notably the maximum content allowed by Regulation (EU) number 1881/2006 for leaf vegetables [63]. Equally, arsenic levels (values were converted from dried weight to fresh weight according to the moisture content of each species) in plants are lower than the maximum levels allowed in certain foods by Commission Regulation (EU) number 2015/1006 (0.2 mg/kg FW) [64]. Hg was below the detection limit of the method of analysis in the plants analyzed (Table 4). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline _Nutritional Parameters_ & & & & & & & & \\ \hline _(g/100 g FW)_ & _L. \#circumoides_ & _S. \#fruticosa_ & _S. \#mnoississima_ & _D. \#cassifolium_ & _C. \#maximum_ & _M. \#nofilform_ & _M. \#cyclallium_ \\ \hline Moisture & 91.8 \(\pm\) 0.91 b  & 86.6 \(\pm\) 0.87 d  & 91.30 \(\pm\) 0.91 b  & 96.20 \(\pm\) 0.96 a  & 88.80 \(\pm\) 0.89 d  & 95.50 \(\pm\) 0.93 b  & 96.30 \(\pm\) 0.96 a  \\ Total ash & 2.41 \(\pm\) 0.09 c  & 3.50 \(\pm\) 0.23 a  & 3.44 \(\pm\) 0.14 b  & 1.40 \(\pm\) 0.06 a  & 2.18 \(\pm\) 0.09 c  & 2.19 \(\pm\) 0.09 c  & 1.39 \(\pm\) 0.05 d  \\ Protein & 3.13 \(\pm\) 0.12 c  & 4.41 \(\pm\) 0.17 a  & 2.65 \(\pm\) 0.10 d  & 1.28 \(\pm\) 0.05 e  & 3.98 \(\pm\) 0.15 b  & 2.41 \(\pm\) 0.09 d  & 1.27 \(\pm\) 0.05 d  \\ Total fat & 0.30 \(\pm\) 0.01 c  & 0.30 \(\pm\) 0.00 c  & 0.20 \(\pm\) 0.002 d  & 0.20 \(\pm\) 0.002 d  & 0.50 \(\pm\) 0.005 a  & 0.40 \(\pm\) 0.004 b  & 0.20 \(\pm\) 0.002 d  \\ Carbohydrates & 0.70 \(\pm\) 0.03 a  & 2.90 \(\pm\) 0.09 b  & 2.10 \(\pm\) 0.05 c  & 0.60 \(\pm\) 0.02 d  & 0.14 \(\pm\) 0.05 d  & 0.20 \(\pm\) 0.008 c  & 0.40 \(\pm\) 0.001 b  \\ Total dietary fibre & 1.70 \(\pm\) 0.05 d  & 2.90 \(\pm\) 0.09 b  & 2.10 \(\pm\) 0.05 d  & 0.60 \(\pm\) 0.02 d  & 0.14 \(\pm\) 0.01 b  & 1.30 \(\pm\) 0.04 d  & 0.80 \(\pm\) 0.02 f  \\ Salt 1 & 1.05 \(\pm\) 0.14 b  & 2.80 \(\pm\) 0.36 b  & 1.50 \(\pm\) 0.19 b  & 0.77 \(\pm\) 0.10 c  & 1.42 \(\pm\) 0.18 b  & 1.30 \(\pm\) 0.12 b  & 1.30 \(\pm\) 0.04 d  & 0.90 \(\pm\) 0.13 b  \\ Chloride & 1.55 \(\pm\) 0.09 c  & 4.48 \(\pm\) 0.29 a  & 2.39 \(\pm\) 0.14 b  & 1.01 \(\pm\) 0.06 a  & 1.19 \(\pm\) 0.07 d  & 1.25 \(\pm\) 0.07 d  & 0.98 \(\pm\) 0.06 c  \\ Energy (0 cal/100 g FW) & 21.40 \(\pm\) 0.86 c  & 26.30 \(\pm\) 1.05 b  & 16.60 \(\pm\) 0.66 a  & 0.81 \(\pm\) 0.32 a  & 2.90 \(\pm\) 1.17 a  & 1.580 \(\pm\) 0.03 d  & 5.80 \(\pm\) 0.34 a  \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Nutritional parameters of the halophyte species. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline _Fatty Acids_ & & & & & & & & & & \\ _(Relative Percentage,\%)_ & & & & & & & & & & \\ \hline Carrier acid & C10.0 & \(<\)0.05 \(\,\)* & \(<\)0.05 \(\,\)* & 0.10 \(\pm\) 0.01 c  & 0.50 \(\pm\) 0.01 b  & 0.40 \(\pm\) 0.01 b  & 1.80 \(\pm\) 0.01  & 0.40 \(\pm\) 0.01 b  \\ Lauritz acid & C12.0 & \(<\)0.05 \(\,\)* & 0.20 \(\pm\) 0.01 d  & 0.30 \(\pm\) 0.01 d  & 0.70 \(\pm\) 0.01 [FOOTNO