Background

Recent trends in the food science industry and consumers’ preferences for diversified diets suggest the consumption of wild greens not only as diet complements but also as healthy and functional foods for targeted conditions, rendering its commercial cultivation of major importance in order to avoid irrational gathering and genetic erosion threats. The Mediterranean basin abounds in wild edible species which have been used for food and medicinal purposes by human throughout the centuries. Many of these species can be found near coastal areas and usually grow under saline conditions, while others can adapt in various harsh conditions including high salinity.

Scope and approach

The aim of this review focuses on listing and describing the most important halophyte species that traditionally have been gathered by rural communities of the Mediterranean basin, while special interest will be given on their chemical composition and health promoting components. Cases of commercially cultivated halophytes will be also presented to highlight their potential as alternative cash crops, while results from in vitro and in vivo health effects will be presented.

Key findings and conclusions

The recent literature has provided useful information regarding the potential of wild halophytes as promising ingredients in functional food products and/or as sources of bioactive compounds. However, further research is needed regarding the chemical characterization of these species under commercial cultivation practices, while further clinical and model trials have to be conducted to assess their long term bioactivity and elucidate potential toxic effects and regulations of safe consumption.

中文翻译：

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地中海盆地可食盐生植物：新型食品的潜在候选者

背景

食品科学行业的最新趋势以及消费者对多样化饮食的偏爱表明，食用野生蔬菜不仅可以作为饮食的补充，而且还可以作为针对特定条件的健康和功能性食品，从而使其商业种植对避免不合理的采集和养分具有重要意义。基因侵蚀的威胁。地中海盆地盛产野生食用物种，这些野生食用物种在整个世纪以来一直被人类用于食品和医药目的。这些物种中的许多在沿海地区附近发现，通常在盐分条件下生长，而其他物种则可以适应包括高盐度在内的各种恶劣条件。

范围和方法

这篇综述的目的在于列出和描述传统上由地中海盆地农村社区收集的最重要的盐生植物物种，同时将特别关注其化学成分和促进健康的成分。还将介绍商业化种植的盐生植物的案例，以突出其作为替代经济作物的潜力，同时还将介绍体外和体内对健康的影响。

主要发现和结论

最新文献提供了有关野生盐生植物作为功能性食品中有希望的成分和/或作为生物活性化合物来源的潜力的有用信息。然而，需要在商业化种植实践中对这些物种的化学特性进行进一步的研究，同时还必须进行进一步的临床和模型试验，以评估其长期生物活性并阐明潜在的毒性作用和安全食用规定。