From treating stroke to growing marsh samphire in Cadiz’s salt ponds

For years, Joan Montaner has dedicated his career to treating stroke. As a vascular neurologist, he coordinated the Andalusian Stroke Plan and helped develop specialist stroke units and the region’s telestroke system. After working in acute stroke care, he became increasingly interested in prevention.

In an interview with misPeces, Montaner says the number of patients and vascular risk factors is rising. He believes that diet can help prevent these conditions.

This led him to study marsh samphire (Salicornia), a salt-tolerant halophyte that grows in the salt ponds of the Bay of Cádiz and produces polyphenols that his team is investigating for their potential relevance to vascular health.

In 2023, Montaner launched Marisma Biomed to develop food products and supplements from saltmarsh resources.

The initiative has now found a site at CUPIMAR, in the Bay of Cádiz, to trial Salicornia cultivation alongside its sole farm. The plants are grown in nearby ponds on the farm, which is developing an innovative system to make better use of resources as part of a circular economy.

According to Montaner, water discharged from the sole farm contains nutrients that can nourish Salicornia. Innovative floating systems keep the plant’s roots immersed in seawater. The system combines fish farming with the cultivation of a halophyte, whose biomass and composition the team aims to control to achieve consistent crop quality.

The project is still at the experimental stage. After two years of trials, Montaner believes the 2027 growing season could deliver modest production with commercial characteristics. For now, the team is working to standardise germination, harvest timing and plant processing.

Joan Montaner says Marisma Biomed is developing two product lines: Salicornia powder, as a seasoning for lower-sodium dishes, and extracts for food supplements.

At the same time, the team continues its work on human health and is conducting clinical trials on vascular risk factors and recovery after minor strokes.

Montaner stresses that the research is ongoing and its findings still need to be demonstrated, although the results so far are very encouraging.

The work by CUPIMAR and Marisma Biomed shows how collaboration and innovation can put nutrients from aquaculture to use in producing high-value products.