## 3 Results and Discussion  
### Nutritional Characterization  
Halophyte plant species are a category of marine vegetables and have a nutritional composition suitable for human consumption due to their content of micro and macronutrients, such as minerals, proteins, fibre, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The nutritional content of the different studied halophyte species is shown in Table 1.  
The increase of water content (succulence) in the tissues of halophytes is an adaptive strategy when exposed to salinity stress and extreme conditions [7; 35]. These plants need to regulate their cellular Na\({}^{+}\), Cl\({}^{-}\), and K\({}^{+}\) concentrations as they adjust to the external water potential and in the accumulated solutes [36]. The content of salts in vegetative organs of halophytes increases with ageing and might reach toxic levels; therefore, these plants tend to lower such unfavourable salt concentrations by increasing the water content in their tissues (succulence) [37]. According to Table 1, _D. crassifolium_ and _M. crystallinum_ displayed significantly higher moisture content compared to other halophyte species: 96.20 g/100 g FW and 96.30 g/100 g FW, respectively. The increase of succulence (water content per unit area of the leaf) observed for halophytes makes them more attractive to consumers [7; 35]. In this context, the moisture values reported in this study were higher than the ones reported for wild halophytes growing in Portugal, such as _S. nmossissima_ (88.20 g/100 g FW), _M. nodiforum_ (91.40 g/100 g FW), and _Sarocornia perenuis_ (84.00 g/100 g FW) [7; 10; 11; 38]. The results obtained in this study are according to [PERSON] et al. (2020) [7], who reported that cultivated halophytes (_S. martína_ and _S. fruticosa_) showed higher values of moisture content than wild plants. This can be related to the water availability in SCS, since these plants are irrigated twice a day, in a process simulating diurnal tidal floods, contributing to the higher moisture content of cultivated plants [7]. Halophytes have a higher ash content than other edible plants due to their ability to retain minerals, which is highly correlated with the saline environment in which they grow and their mechanisms of tolerance to salt stress [39; 40; 41]. According to Table 1, halophyte species contain a higher ash content and show a higher NaCl content. Among the halophyte species, _S. ramossissima_ (1.50 g/100 g FW; 2.39 g/100 g FW) and _S. fruticosa_ (2.80 g/100 g FW; 4.84 g/100 g FW) displayed higher NaCl and chloride concentrations, respectively. _Salicornia_ sp. and _Sarocornia_ sp. are highly appreciated in gastronomy due to their salty taste, being recognized as a promising natural ingredient and salt substitute. The significantly greater value of ashes in _S. fruticosa_ (5.70 g/100 g FW) is justified by the significantly higher detected salt content, but also other salts that may be present due to the mineral composition. The opposite is also visible since _M. crystallinum_ contains a significantly lower ash content (1.39 g/100 g FW) and also presents the lowest salt content. Total ashes, proteins, and salt contents were significantly higher in _S. fruticosa_ and lower in _M. crystallinum_, while _C. maritiinum_ displayed higher total fat, TDF (total dietary fibre), and energy. A higher concentration of proteins was found in _S. fruticosa_ (4.44 g/100 g FW), _C. maritiinum_ (3.98 g/100 g FW), and _I. crithmoides_ (3.13 g/100 g FW), while in _D. crassifolium_ (1.28 g/100 g FW) and _M. crystallinum_ (1.27 g/100 g FW), contents were significantly lower. Plant proteins contribute to the down-regulation of insulin and the up-regulation of glucagon, and their intake has been shown to provide protective effects against cardiovascular diseases and cancer [42]. Halophytes have been described as a good source of dietary fibre [7; 10; 43]. Dietary fibre provides many health benefits, reducing the risk of developing diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and others [44].