A fast-paced lifestyle and poor dietary habits negatively affect health, increase the incidence of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, impair skin health, accelerate the aging process, and reduce overall vitality. This trend underscores the need for innovative approaches to health prevention and enhancement, including products enriched with bioactive compounds that have broad applications in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. Crithmum maritimum L. (sea fennel) is a nutritionally and functionally valuable wild-growing Mediterranean plant, renowned for its high concentration of phytochemicals. However, its limited availability due to natural habitat constraints and compositional variability presents challenges for broader application.

This project aims to optimize the cultivation of sea fennel as a novel approach to ensure consistent quality and increase the accumulation of targeted bioactive components. Cultivation under abiotic stress conditions will stimulate the synthesis of desired compounds, while the modulation of growing conditions will further enhance the plant’s nutritional profile. The use of green extraction techniques will facilitate the production of high-quality extracts suitable for the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. Additionally, transcriptomic analyses will provide deeper insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the synthesis of bioactive compounds and the plant’s response to abiotic stress.

The project will contribute to the preservation of biodiversity, foster local development, and generate innovative products with significant potential in personalized health care and sustainable, circular nutrition