foods Review Fruit and Agro-Industrial Waste Extracts as Potential Antimicrobials in Meat Products: A Brief Review Leticia Aline Gonçalves 1, * , José M. Lorenzo 2,3 and Marco Antonio Trindade 1   Citation: Gonçalves, L.A.; Lorenzo, J.M.; Trindade, M.A. Fruit and Agro-Industrial Waste Extracts as Potential Antimicrobials in Meat Products: A Brief Review. Foods 2021, 10, 1469. https://doi.org/10.3390/ foods10071469 Academic Editors: Claudia Ruiz-Capillas and Ana Herrero Herranz Received: 13 May 2021 Accepted: 21 June 2021 Published: 25 June 2021 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). 1 Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Duque de Caxias Norte, Pirassununga 13635-90, São Paulo, Brazil; trindadema@usp.br 2 Área de Tecnología de los Alimentos, Facultad de Ciencias de Ourense, Universidad de Vigo, 32004 Ourense, Spain; jmlorenzo@ceteca.net 3 Centro Tecnológico de la Carne de Galicia, Rúa Galicia N-4, Parque Tecnológico de Galicia, San Cibrao das Viñas, 32900 Ourense, Spain * Correspondence: leticia.aline.goncalves@usp.br Abstract: The use of antimicrobials in meat products is essential for maintaining microbiological stability. The reformulation by substituting synthetic additives for natural ones is an alternative to provide cleaner label products. Therefore, this work performed a literature search about ex- tracts from fruits and agro-industrial waste with antimicrobial activity that can be applied in meat products. Jabuticaba waste extracts are excellent sources of anthocyanins with antimicrobial and pigmentation potential, capable of being applied in meat products such as fresh sausage, without com- promising sensory attributes. Residue from grapes is rich in antimicrobial phytochemicals, mainly catechins, epicatechins, gallic acid and procyanidins. Extracts from different grape by-products and cultivars showed inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli O157: H7 and other bacterial strains. Antimicrobial effects against L. monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, S. aureus and E. coli O157: H7 were identified in Opuntia extracts. In addition, its ap- plication in hamburgers reduced (p < 0.05) aerobic mesophilic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae and Pseu- domonas sp. counts, and at a concentration of 2.5%, improved the microbiological stability of salami without causing sensory and texture changes. These data reinforce the possibility of substituting synthetic preservatives for natural versions, a growing trend that requires researching effective concentrations to maintain the sensory and technological properties. Keywords: Opuntia ficus-indica; Myrciaria cauliflora; Vitis sp.; microbiological stability; sensory prop- erties; cleaner label 1. Introduction Since antiquity, even without being aware of the proliferation of microorganisms, when observing the high perishability of meat and the need for its immediate consumption, man began to use techniques of physical and chemical changes capable of delaying spoilage and improving the flavor of this and other food classes, which allowed the significant extension of the availability period of certain foods. One of the oldest forms of meat processing is the manufacture of by-products from the processing of meat pieces, which started around 1500 BC in the Mediterranean region, whose climate was favorable for the maturation of products, when several procedures that resulted in the reduction in water activity and consequently the prolongation of their shelf life, such as desiccation, drying, curing, smoking, salting and/or mixture of aromatic herbs, were also applied [1,2]. As they are nutritionally rich foods with a large amount of available water in their composition, meats become susceptible to contamination by pathogenic and spoiling microorganisms. In order to overcome this problem and offer safe meat products to consumers, it is necessary to adopt measures for their conservation, such as good man- ufacturing practices, use of low temperatures during storage, heat treatment and use of additives [3]. Foods 2021, 10, 1469. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10071469 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/foods