## 1 Introduction  
Food safety is concerned with protecting the food supply chain against the introduction, development or survival of hazardous microorganisms and their metabolites, as well as chemical agents [1]. Therefore, maintaining high quality and safety of food is a public health priority. According to WHO reports [2] 18 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) have been lost due to foodborne pathogens worldwide, with nontyphoidal _Salmonella enterica_ and enteropathogenic _Escherichia coli_ being the dominant microorganisms. Research shows that non-optimal food hygiene practices may contribute to microbial contamination of food [3] and thus to bacterial food poisoning, which is one of the most common causes of illness and death all over the world [4]. The majority of food poisoning cases are linked to bacterial contamination, particularly _Salmonella_ species, _Bacillus cereus_, _Staphylococcus aureus_, _Escherichia coli_ species, _Clostridium_ species, _Campylobacter jejuni_ and _Listeria monocytogenes_[5; 6; 7]. Fungi also pose a serious risk to food safety at every stage of the food chain. Filamentous fungi such as _Fusarium_, _Alternaria_, _Botrytis_ and _Sclerotiniu_ are responsible for plant diseases and can be dangerous to humans and animals among others due to mycotoxins production. These metabolites decrease nutritional properties and pose a threat to human and animal health by causing acute or chronic problems such as carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, teratogenicity and hepatotoxicityicity [8; 9; 10; 11]. In general, chemical compounds are used at different stages of food production to prevent and control microbial contamination and spoilage. Agrotechnical procedures include the application of fungicides, whereas in the food industry disinfectants or preservatives are used. The disadvantage of chemicals is the possibility of the accumulation of their residues in the food and feed chain, the development of microbial resistance to the applied compounds and other side effects on human and animal health [4; 12]. Therefore, efforts have been made to develop potentially effective, healthy, safer and natural substances as alternatives to the commonly used compounds. One solution was found in the use of plant extracts, which have been extensively studied for their antimicrobial properties [13]. For example, roselle (_Hibiscus sabariffa_), rosmary (_Rosmarinus officinalis_), clove (_Syzygium aromaticum_), thymme (_Thymus vulgaris_) and other herbs demonstrate both antibacterial and antifungal activity against various microorganisms [14; 15]. Plant extracts obtained from aromatic, medicinal or herbal plants consist of compounds that are increasingly being used as preservatives in the food industry, in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics and as natural fungicides in agriculture. _Glechoma hederacea_ var. _longituba_, commonly known as ground ivy, is a herbaceous plant from the _Lamiaceae_ family, that is widely available throughout Asia, Europe and North America [16]. In some regions, _G. hederaca_ is known as a weed plant that grows in shaded areas, fallow lands, dry ditches, around fences and hedges and along the edges of wet meadows [17]. According to the literature, _G. hederaca_ leaves or flowering herbs have long been used as a traditional medicine in the treatment of various diseases, such as abscess, arthritis, asthma, cold, cough, diabetes, influenza, gastric disorders, headaches, hypochondria, inflammation, jaundice and scurvy [17; 18]. Different chemical compositions of _G. hederaca_ have been described, and a variety of active compounds, such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, steroids and fatty acids, have been identified [17; 19; 20; 21; 22]. Phenolic compounds, including rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, rutin, genistin and ferulic acid, have been confirmed as major constituents of _G. hederaca_ extracts [21; 23].