Functional Food from Endangered Ecosystems: Atriplex Portulacoides As a Case Study
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foods Review Functional Food from Endangered Ecosystems: Atriplex portulacoides as a Case Study Lorenzo Zanella and Fabio Vianello * Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Viale dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 16 September 2020; Accepted: 21 October 2020; Published: 24 October 2020 Abstract: Biodiversity is a reservoir of potential sources of novel food and feed ingredients with suitable compositions for the improvement of the diet and well-being of humans and farmed animals. The halophyte Atriplex portulacoides occurs in habitats that are exposed to seawater inundations, and shows biochemical adaptations to saline and oxidative stresses. Its composition includes long chain lipids, sterols, phenolic compounds, glutathione and carotenoids. These organic compounds and micronutrients, such as Fe, Zn, Co and Cu, make this plant suitable as an optimal functional food that is potentially able to reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory processes in humans and animals. Indeed, many of these compounds have a protective activity in humans against cardiovascular pathologies, cancer, and degenerative processes related to aging. The analysis of its history as food and forage, which dates back thousands of years, attests that it can be safely consumed. Here, the limits of its chemical and microbiological contamination are suggested in order to comply with the European regulations. The productivity of A. portulacoides in natural environments, and its adaptability to non-saline soils, make it a potential crop of high economic interest. Keywords: halophyte; Atriplex portulacoides; food supplement; functional food; antioxidants; sustainable food production 1. Introduction Brackish wetlands and salt marshes are endangered habitats of great ecological interest, and have therefore been identified as special protection areas pursuant to Council Directive 92/43/EEC, also known as the Habitats Directive. The biodiversity occurring in these environments is characterized by peculiar adaptations to tolerate soil salinity and periodic tidal flood, especially in the case of sessile organisms, such as halophytes. These vascular plants are endowed with uncommon biochemical defenses to protect against oxidative stress, which make them potential sources of secondary metabolites of nutritional, medical and pharmaceutical interest [1–5]. Atriplex portulacoides, commonly called sea purslane, is an edible halophyte that shows these traits and is potentially suitable to be cultivated for human and animal nutrition. The introduction of innovative crops into European agrosystems is becoming an urgent need in order to counteract the heavy loss of agro-biodiversity [6], which is related to many pivotal sustainability issues, e.g., the precipitous decline of terrestrial European insects [7]. Field-based investigations have shown that biodiversity also affects the forage quality, with important economic benefits for farmers and graziers [8]. The identification of plants with high-value biochemical composition, adaptability to climate changes, and an intrinsic potential to reconnect croplands with endangered natural ecosystems is a challenging issue. Intriguingly, A. portulacoides shows all of these characteristics. Foods 2020, 9, 1533; doi:10.3390/foods9111533 www.mdpi.com/journal/foods FoodsFoods 2020 2020, ,9 9, ,x x FOR FOR PEER PEER REVIEW REVIEW 22 of of 21 21 endangeredendangered natural natural ecosystems ecosystems is is a a challenging challenging issue. issue. Intriguingly, Intriguingly, A. 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MorphologyMorphology andand SystematicsSystematics ofof Atriplex Atriplex portulacoides portulacoides AtriplexAtriplex portulacoidesportulacoides L. L. 17531753 isis a aa small smallsmall perennial, perennial,perennial, halophile halophilehalophile shrub, shrub,shrub, which whichwhich is isis common commoncommon along alongalong the thethe EuropeanEuropeanEuropean coasts coasts and and occursoccurs inin NorthNorth Africa, Africa, Asia Asia minor, minor, and and Western Western CapeCape provinceprovince (South(South Africa), Africa), andandand has has been beenbeen introduced introduced to to to North North North America America America [9]. [9]. 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A.A. portulacoides portulacoidesportulacoidesbelongs belongsbelongs to toto the thethe Chenopodiacee ChenopodiaceeChenopodiacee family, family,family, whose whosewhose phylogeny phylogenyphylogeny is complex isis complexcomplex and the andand object thethe ofobjectobject disputed ofof disputeddisputed interpretations. interpretations.interpretations. In fact, some InIn fact,fact, botanists somesome consider botanistsbotanists Chenopodiaceae considerconsider ChenopodiaceaeChenopodiaceae to be monophyletic toto bebe becausemonophyleticmonophyletic of some becausebecause molecular ofof somesome markers molecularmolecular [11], whereas markersmarkers others [11],[11], whereas interpretwhereas othersothers this family interpretinterpret as paraphyletic thisthis familyfamily toasas Amaranthaceae,paraphyleticparaphyletic to to Amaranthaceae, Amaranthaceae, and