## 4 Conclusions  
This study demonstrated the phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and biological properties of hawthorn fruit extracts prepared via enzyme-assisted treatments by _R. miehei_ cellulase and _R. miehei_ cellulase-_A. niger_ pectinase cocktails. The extracts obtained by  
Figure 6: Inhibition of violacein production in _C. violaceum_ 85 WT quorum-sensing biosensor bacterium by hawthorn extracts. (**A**) Reduced pigment synthesis around the disk impregnated with acetate buffer extracted hawthorn sample (1.2 mg/disk). The red arrow indicates the non-purple ring around the disk. (**B**) Percent violacein production in liquid culture assay in the presence of hawthorn extracts prepared by acetate buffer (C, 1.2 mg/mL reaction mixture), _R. miehei_ cellulase (S1, 1.7 mg/mL reaction mixture) and _R. miehei_ cellulase-_A. niger_ pectinase (S2, 1.5 mg/mL reaction mixture) extractions. Violacein production measured in the absence of the given extract was taken as 100% (Control). The values shown are averages of the data obtained from three measurements; error bars represent the standard deviation. The different letters above the columns indicate significant differences according to one-way ANOVA followed by [PERSON]’s multiple comparison test (_p_ < 0.05). enzyme treatments showed a higher phenolic content and antioxidant activity compared to those prepared by enzyme-free extraction. Chromatography revealed an improvement in the concentration of individual phenolics as a result of the enzyme treatments, and the largest yield development was identified for vanillic acid, _p_-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and ferulic acid compounds. The quantity of chlorogenic acid, hyperoside, and isoquercitrin markedly decreased during both cellulase and cellulase-petinase treatments. The extracts exhibited moderate antimicrobial activity against planktonic growth of _E. coli_, _B. subtilis_, _P. aeruginosa_, and _C. violaceum_ bacteria, while the tested _W. anomalies_ and _D. hansenii_ yeasts were quite resistant, irrespectively of the residue treatment methodology. The enzyme-treated extracts had biofilm growth inhibitory activity in _B. subtilis_, _W. anomalies_, and _D. hansenii_, as well as inhibited the quorum-sensing mechanism of _C. violaceum_. Although the hawthorn extracts produced in this study exhibited moderate antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, it can be concluded that carbohydrate-assisted extraction is a reliable strategy for the release of free phenolics from hawthorn fruit residues. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the phenolic profile and biological properties of extracts produced by enzymatic treatments from hawthorn fruit samples. These phenolic-enriched hawthorn extracts have potential applications in the food industry as a natural source of aroma compounds, precursors of aroma substances, and antioxidative breakpreservatives, particularly in functional beverages, pureses, and jams, to enhance nutritional value. Conceptualization, M.T., F.T. and C.Z. ; methodology, M.T., C.Z., T.K., M.V., A.S., E.B.K. and J.K.; validation, M.T., A.S. and E.B.K. ; formal analysis, M.T., T.K. and A.S.; investigation, M.T., F.T., C.Z., T.K., M.V., O.T., E.B.K. and C.V.; resources, M.T., M.V., T.P., O.T. and C.V.; writing--original draft preparation, M.T. and J.K.; writing--review and editing, M.T., T.P., J.K. and C.V.; supervision, M.T. and J.K.; project administration, M.T., A.S., E.B.K. and C.V.; funding acquisition, M.T., T.P. and C.V. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. This study was funded by the National Research, Development, and Innovation Office (NKFI grants FK 134886, PD 142122 and 2019-2.1.11-TET-2020-00148). T.P. and M.T. were supported by the HUN-REN 2001007 and TRP2021-EGA-28 projects. Not applicable. The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author. The authors thank [PERSON] for the technical help in the determination of antimicrobial activity of the extracts.