1. The alphabet of sea fennel: Comprehensive phytochemical characterisation of Croatian populations of Crithmum maritimum L.
- Author
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Ivana Generalić Mekinić, Olivera Politeo, Ivica Ljubenkov, Linda Mastelić, Marijana Popović, Maja Veršić Bratinčević, Vida Šimat, Sanja Radman, Danijela Skroza, Tonka Ninčević Runjić, Marko Runjić, Gvozden Dumičić, and Branimir Urlić
- Subjects
Sea fennel ,Essential oil ,Fatty acids ,Tocopherols ,Carotenoids ,Phenolic compounds ,Nutrition. Foods and food supply ,TX341-641 ,Food processing and manufacture ,TP368-456 - Abstract
Extreme environmental conditions affect the synthesis and accumulation of bioactive metabolites in halophytic plants. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and quantity of key health-promoting phytochemicals in Croatian sea fennel, one of the most popular Mediterranean halophytes with a wide range of uses. The EOs were characterised by a high content of limonene (up to 93%), while the fatty acid profile shows a low content of oleic acid and the presence of valuable linoleic acid (ω-6) and linolenic acid (ω-3) in high percentages. The dominances of lutein and α-tocopherol were also confirmed in all samples. The results confirm the great variability in the chemistry of sea fennel populations in the Mediterranean region, with significant differences in the composition of the Croatian samples compared to the others, as well as the presence and high concentrations of the analysed bioactive compounds that contribute to the plant's health-promoting attributes.
- Published
- 2024
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