Antibacterial effect of parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes

In the present study, the antimicrobial activity of different parsnip extracts was evaluated against Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes, based on different parsnip cultivars and plant parts. The tested parsnip varieties and parts included Warrior Leaf (W-L), Warrior Stem (W-S), Albion Leaf (A-L), Albion Stem (A-S), Warrior Skin (W-Skin), Warrior Cortex (W-C), and Warrior Pith (W-P). The disk diffusion assay revealed that none of the parsnip extracts (W-L, W-S, A-L, or A-S) exhibited antimicrobial activity. In contrast, experiments using a 96-well plate method showed that the extracts inhibited S. Typhimurium and L. monocytogenes growth. When growth experiments were conducted using selective media, the results indicated that the growth inhibition against L. monocytogenes was observed with W-L, A-L, and W-Skin samples. Overall, this study provides preliminary data suggesting that further exploration of the antimicrobial potential of parsnip extracts is required.