Nutritional and Bioactive Potential of Halophytes for Food and Pharmaceutical Applications

Abstract

The increasing global population and progressive soil salinization threaten future food security and sustainable agriculture. Halophytes, as salt-tolerant plants adapted to saline environments, represent promising alternative crops and valuable sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds. This review presents a structured synthesis of selected halophytes, with emphasis on wild species of ethnobotanical relevance. The nutritional value of halophytes is discussed with respect to proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, minerals, and vitamins, together with their diverse profiles regarding bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, terpenes and terpenoids (including carotenoids), alkaloids, saponins and chlorophylls. In addition, the biological activities and available clinical evidence of halophyte-derived compounds are summarized, with Lobularia maritima presented as a representative example. By organizing nutritional and phytochemical data according to compound classes, this review provides a perspective largely absent from previous studies and highlights the potential of halophytes as innovative ingredients for the food and pharmaceutical industries, as well as outlining future research challenges and prospects.