UNVEILING THE QUALITY AND HEALTH POTENTIAL OF BRINED GRAPE LEAVES (VITIS VINIFERA L.): MICROBIOLOGICAL, PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND BIOFUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES

The grapevine and its brined leaves are important products in various regions of our country, both for their use in traditional dishes and nutritional value. This study investigated the microbiological and physicochemical properties, total phenolic, antioxidant capacity and chromatographic characteristics of unpackaged and packaged brined grape leaves sold in the Erzurum province of Turkey. Yeasts were the dominant microorganisms, ranging <1-7.20 log cfu/mL, although total viable count, mould, lactobacilli and lactococci were determined in some samples. The pH, acidity (% lactic acid) and salt content (%) of the samples ranged 2.55-3.47, 0.20-1.29 and 6.14-32.76, respectively. The total phenolic content and IC50 were found to be in the range of 509.12-1870.59 mg GAE/L and 0.054-0.249 mg/mL, respectively. The samples were found to contain different ratios of organic acids, glutamic acid, gamma-aminobutyric acid, benzoic/sorbic acid. Further analysis is required to determine the microbial content (microbiota), ingredients, and pesticide residues in the samples.