Effect of Food Matrix and Treatment Time on the Effectiveness of Grape Seed Extract As an Antilisterial Treatment in Fresh Produce

Listeriosis outbreaks were associated with contaminated fruits and vegetables, including cantaloupe, apples, and celery. Grape seed extract (GSE) is a natural antimicrobial with potential for reducing contamination in food. This study assessed the effectiveness of GSE to reduce on fresh produce and the impact of food matrices on its antilisterial activity. GSE showed MIC values of 30-35 μg/mL against four strains used in this study. A total of 100 g portions of cantaloupe, apples, and celery were inoculated with and treated with 100-1000 μg/mL of GSE for 5 or 15 min. Results were analyzed using Rstudio and a Tukey's test. Treated produce had significantly lower counts than the control samples (-value < 0.05). The inhibition was significantly higher on apples and lowest on cantaloupe. Moreover, a 15 min treatment was found to be more effective than a 5 min treatment in reducing on all produce types. The reduction in levels varied between 0.61 and 2.5 log CFU reduction, depending on the treatment concentration, duration, and produce matrix. These findings suggest that GSE is an effective antilisterial treatment for fresh produce, with varying levels of effectiveness depending on the food matrix and treatment time.