Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Oct 28;11(21):3402.
doi: 10.3390/foods11213402.

Salicornia bigelovii, S. brachiata and S. herbacea: Their Nutritional Characteristics and an Evaluation of Their Potential as Salt Substitutes

Hani A Alfheeaid  1 , Dele Raheem  2 , Faiyaz Ahmed  3 , Fahad S Alhodieb  3 , Zayed D Alsharari  4 , Jwaher Haji Alhaji  5 , Mona N BinMowyna  6 , Ariana Saraiva  7 , António Raposo  8
Affiliations
Review

Salicornia bigelovii, S. brachiata and S. herbacea: Their Nutritional Characteristics and an Evaluation of Their Potential as Salt Substitutes

Hani A Alfheeaid et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Excessive sodium (salt) intake in our diet is a main contributor to hypertension and a major risk factor for cardiovascular illnesses. As a result, research has made great efforts to develop salt alternatives, and Salicornia spp. offers a very high potential in the food industry for its promising functional characteristics. This review focuses on the nutritional profile, health effects and commercial potential of three specific species of the Salicornia genus: S. bigelovii, S. brachiata and S. herbacea. It also addresses the methods that are used to produce them as salt substitutes. Owing to the antinutritional and anti-inflammatory effects of its bioactive compounds, Salicornia spp. can serve as an organic biological preservative in foods with better consumer appeal when compared with chemical preservatives that are common in the food industry. Overall, the commercial use of these underutilized species will help to improve food security.

Keywords: S. bigelovii; S. brachiata; S. herbacea; Salicornia spp.; anti-inflammatory; antioxidant; food industry; health; nutrition; salt substitute.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Photograph of Salicornia bigelovii in its natural habitat (Windsor Lake, CO, USA).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Photograph of Salicornia brachiata in its natural habitat (Gujarat, India).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Photograph of Salicornia herbacea in its natural habitat (Finistère, France).
Figure 4
Figure 4
A summary of potential Salicornia applications [73].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lopes M., Castilho M.D.C., Sanches-Silva A., Freitas A., Barbosa J., Gonçalves M.J., Cavaleiro C., Ramos F. Evaluation of the mycotoxins content of Salicornia spp.: A gourmet plant alternative to salt. Food Addit. Contam. Part B. 2020;13:162–170. doi: 10.1080/19393210.2020.1741692. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Valdés B., Castroviejo S. Platanaceae-Plumbaginaceae (partim) In: Castroviejo S., Laínz M., González G.L., Montserrat P., Garmendia F.M., Paiva J., Villar L., editors. Flora Iberica–Plantas Vasculares De La Península Ibérica E Islas Baleares. Volume II. Real Jardín Botánico, C.S.I.C.; Madrid, Spain: 1990. [(accessed on 15 September 2022)]. pp. 531–533. Available online: http://www.floraiberica.es/floraiberica/texto/pdfs/02_052_17_Salicornia.pdf.
    1. Kadereit G., Ball P., Beer S., Mucina L., Sokoloff D., Teege P., Yaprak A.E., Freitag H. A taxonomic nightmare comes true: Phylogeny and biogeography of glassworts (Salicornia, L., Chenopodiaceae) Taxon. 2007;56:1143–1170. doi: 10.2307/25065909. - DOI
    1. Lu D., Zhang M., Wang S., Cai J., Zhou X., Zhu C. Nutritional characterization and changes in quality of Salicornia bigelovii Torr. during storage. LWT-Food Sci. Technol. 2010;43:519–524. doi: 10.1016/j.lwt.2009.09.021. - DOI
    1. Gunning D. Cultivating Salicornia europaea (marsh samphire) Dublin Irel. Ir. Sea Fish. Board. 2016;4:1–95.

LinkOut - more resources