## 3 Results and Discussion  
### Nutritional Characterization  
In Table 1, the nutritional composition of fresh and dried _S. ramossissima_ samples are presented. The results obtained for the fresh plant are in accordance with data already reported in the literature [10]. For all the parameters presented in Table 1, there were differences between the fresh (values reported as dried weight) and dried plants. Figure 1: Scheme of the analyses and bioactivity assays of the fresh, oven, and freeze-dried _S. ramossissima_. Steam succulent halophyte plants have a high percentage of water in their composition, with values higher than 84% [7; 10; 36]. The freeze-drying process removed the water content from plant matrix more efficiently than the oven-dried process (3.20% and 7.66%, respectively). The long time required for oven-drying at 70 \({}^{\circ}\)C (72 h) seals the surface capillaries of the samples, reducing the water releasing from the matrix [37]. The freeze-drying process allows to remove the water from the frozen plant using both primary (unbound water removal) and secondary (bound water removal) drying, thus producing the driest end-product [38]. The content of ashes and the total fat, carbohydrates, salt, and energy value did not display significant differences between both drying processes. However, freeze-dried _S. ramsissima_ showed a higher protein content (11.00 g/100 g dw) than the oven-dried plant (8.48 g/100 g dw). Freeze-drying inhibited the degradation of protein, while heat drying processing lead to protein degradation and denaturation [39]. The total dietary fiber content of _S. ramsissima_ increased with the oven-drying process at 70 \({}^{\circ}\)C and these results are in accordance to others observed in halophytes [40; 41] and in fruits and vegetables. This [41; 42] may be due to a modification in the structure of carbohydrates, which enhanced a structural rearrangement of the insoluble polysaccharides that might result in an increased quantification of total dietary fiber [42]. The main fatty acids present in fresh _S. ramsissima_ are palmitic, linoleic, and linoleic acids, with a predominant amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (58.40 g/100 g), mainly linolenic acid (33.50 g/100 g) (Table 1), and results are in accordance to data previously published [7; 43; 44]. The PUFA n-6/PUFA n-3 ratio was 0.72 in the lipophilic fraction  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Sample** & **Fresh** & **Oven-Dried** & **Freeze-Dried** \\ \hline \multicolumn{4}{c}{**(g/100 g fw)**} & **(g/100 g dw) d** & **(g/100 g dw)** & **(g/100 g dw)** \\ \hline \multicolumn{4}{c}{_Nutritional parameters ab_} \\ Moisture & 88.20 \(\pm\) 0.88 & - & 7.66 \(\pm\) 0.08 a  & 3.20 \(\pm\) 0.03 b  & 41.00 \(\pm\) 1.64 b  & 44.20 \(\pm\) 1.77 a  & 8.48 \(\pm\) 0.34 b  & 1.10 \(\pm\) 0.04 b  & 1.20 \(\pm\) 0.01 b  & 1.03 \(\pm\) 0.01 b  & 1.03 \(\pm\) 0.01 b  & 7.0 \(\pm\)of fresh _S. ramossissima_ and corresponded, in this study, to the ratio of linoleic/linolenic acids. This ratio is important considering a n-6/n-3 ratio lower than 5 is associated with a significant decreased in the risk of cardiovascular, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases, contributing to a more anti-inflammatory state [45; 46]. For the dried plants, the _S. ramossissima_ processed by freeze-drying presented the highest amount of PUFA (68.8 g/100 g) and the lowest amount of saturated fatty acids (SFA) (28.1 g/100 g), while the oven-dried plant presented the lowest PUFA value (52.7 g/100 g) and the highest SFA value (42.5 g/100 g). The linoleic and linolenic acids' content for the oven-dried plant (23.8 g/100 g and 27.90 g/100 g, respectively) is lower compared to the freeze-dried plant (28.0 g/100 g and 40.2% g/100 g, respectively). Linoleic and linolenic acids' content is known to be decreased by thermo-oxidation when exposed to a temperature at 70 \({}^{\circ}\)C [47]. The mineral composition of haplotypes plants is known to depend on the plant's growth zone as different amounts of the nutrients can be present in different soils.