{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:37:55Z","timestamp":1760060275117,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,8]],"date-time":"2025-08-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1754611200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000780","name":"XtremeGourmet project","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["ALG-01-0247-FEDER-017676","UIDB\/04326\/2020","UIDP\/04326\/2020","LA\/P\/0101\/2020","UIDB\/05183\/2020","LA\/P\/0121\/2020","SFRH\/BD\/149398\/2019"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ALG-01-0247-FEDER-017676","UIDB\/04326\/2020","UIDP\/04326\/2020","LA\/P\/0101\/2020","UIDB\/05183\/2020","LA\/P\/0121\/2020","SFRH\/BD\/149398\/2019"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000780","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"FCT\u2014Foundation for Science and Technology","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["ALG-01-0247-FEDER-017676","UIDB\/04326\/2020","UIDP\/04326\/2020","LA\/P\/0101\/2020","UIDB\/05183\/2020","LA\/P\/0121\/2020","SFRH\/BD\/149398\/2019"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ALG-01-0247-FEDER-017676","UIDB\/04326\/2020","UIDP\/04326\/2020","LA\/P\/0101\/2020","UIDB\/05183\/2020","LA\/P\/0121\/2020","SFRH\/BD\/149398\/2019"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Applied Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The increasing interest in halophytes as sustainable crops and their potential functional properties highlights the need to understand how cultivation conditions affect their quality for human consumption. The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of salinity on the microbial quality of the halophytes Disphyma crassifolium, Inula crithmoides, Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum, and Suaeda maritima, cultivated using a soilless system under different salinities. The sensorial quality of D. crassifolium and S. maritima was also assessed by an experienced panel of culinary chefs. The microbial quality was measured by counting aerobic microorganisms (30 \u00b0C and 6.5 \u00b0C), fungi, Escherichia coli, and coagulase-positive staphylococci. Salinity increase caused a concentration-dependent salt accumulation in the plants, triggering a rise in the microbial populations, namely aerobic and filamentous fungi on D. crassifolium and I. crithmoides and psychrotrophic microorganisms on S. maritima (p &lt; 0.05). Except for M. nodiflorum, plants cultivated at the highest salinity (465 mM) had levels of filamentous fungi higher than 3 Log CFU\/g. Concerning aerobes, plants presented a satisfactory microbiological quality (&lt;6 Log CFU\/g) even when cultivated at high salinity (465 mM), and yeasts, E. coli, and staphylococci were never detected. D. crassifolium and S. maritima cultivated at intermediate salinities were preferred by the sensory evaluation panel. In conclusion, soilless system cultivation produces plants adequate for consumption, considering their microbial and sensorial quality.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/app15168799","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,8]],"date-time":"2025-08-08T15:30:52Z","timestamp":1754667052000},"page":"8799","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Microbial and Sensory Evaluation of Halophytes Cultivated in a Soilless System Under Different Salinities"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9680-5089","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"C\u00e9lia","family":"Quintas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"ISE\u2014Institute of Engineering, Department of Food Engineering, Universidade do Algarve, Campus da Penha, 8000-139 Faro, Portugal"},{"name":"MED\u2014Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE\u2014Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7983-518X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexandre R.","family":"Lima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MED\u2014Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE\u2014Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal"},{"name":"GreenCoLab\u2014Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Oceano Verde, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6948-0055","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Florinda","family":"Gama","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MED\u2014Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE\u2014Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal"},{"name":"GreenCoLab\u2014Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Oceano Verde, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7396-4674","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carla","family":"Nunes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Riafresh, S\u00edtio do Besouro, CX 547-B, 8005-241 Faro, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6345-5924","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Miguel","family":"Salazar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MED\u2014Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE\u2014Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal"},{"name":"Riafresh, S\u00edtio do Besouro, CX 547-B, 8005-241 Faro, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4077-855X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lu\u00edsa","family":"Barreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CCMAR\u2013Centre of Marine Sciences, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal"},{"name":"GreenCoLab\u2014Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Oceano Verde, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfca.2017.02.003","article-title":"Halophytes: Gourmet Food with Nutritional Health Benefits?","volume":"59","author":"Barreira","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. 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