Hippophae salicifolia D. Don: A Miraculous Species Less Known in Europe

Abstract

Hippophae salicifolia is an Euro-Asian species used in many industries, from medicine to cosmetics, nutrition, or soil sciences (enriching degraded fields, diminishing soil erosion, preventing and treating diseases). The purpose of this study was to analyse the culture of this species in Europe together with the chemical content of its fruits. In order to achieve this, Hippophae salicifolia seeds were sown in greenhouses, seedlings were planted in fields, while the fruits were harvested and analysed both fresh, as well as after preservation for 1 year and 5 months. The properties of H. salicifolia fruits were also compared with the fruits of Hippophae rhamnoides, both fresh and preserved for 7 months. The analysis have shown that fresh fruits contain an average quantity of 31; 811 and 231 mg/100 total carotenoid, polyphenol, and ascorbic acid, respectively. The vitamin C content was much higher than that observed for H. rhamonides. If kept in adequate conditions, H. salicifolia fruits lose only a small amount of vitamin C and exhibit a vitamin C content (224 mg/100g) superior to the fresh fruit of H. rhamonides (100-150 mg/100 g). By comparing the chemical characteristics of H. salicifolia and H. rhamnoides fruits preserved over a long period of time, a higher concentration of vitamin C was observed in H. salicifolia, while the differences between the other chemical characteristics were insignificant. The obtained results strongly suggest that H. salicifolia can be successfully cultured in Europe, while its exceptional fruit qualities can be capitalised on by a variety of industries.