Antimicrobial Properties of Analogs of Dimeric A-Type Proanthocyanidins in Food Matrices Cobo Molinos, Antonio Alejo Armijo, Alfonso Cruz, Daniel Cuadrado, Cristina Ortega-Morente, Elena A-type proanthocyanidins Antimicrobial activity Synergistic activities Polyphenols with antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties are gaining popularity due to their natural origins and relatively safe nature, and they have met the interest of the food industry because of their possible applicability as food preservatives. We have investigated the effect of different analogs of dimeric A-type proanthocyanidins (PACs) on four food matrix models, including unprocessed meat, fish, vegetables and dairy products previously contaminated with susceptible food pathogens. The best effects were achieved when cherry tomato was used as the food matrix for all the target bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus CECT 828, Listeria innocua CECT 910 and Bacillus cereus UJA27q) and for both temperatures tested (6 and 25 °C). Moreover, several combinations of these analogs also showed synergistic effects, mainly on S. aureus CECT 828, which may allow these antimicrobials to be used at lower levels in food matrices, which would promote their sensory acceptability. However, further studies should be conducted next to understand the mechanisms of these synergistic activities between the phenolic compounds against foodborne pathogens, as well as to ensure the absence of toxic effects when used as food preservatives. 2026-01-23T11:47:20Z 2026-01-23T11:47:20Z 2026-01-15 journal article Cobo, A., Alejo-Armijo, A., Cruz, D., Cuadrado, C., & Ortega-Morente, E. (2026). Antimicrobial Properties of Analogs of Dimeric A-Type Proanthocyanidins in Food Matrices. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 27(2), 853. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27020853 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/110159 10.3390/ijms27020853 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ open access Atribución 4.0 Internacional MDPI