## 3 Results and Discussion
### Antimicrobial Capacity of Hawthorn Extracts
violaceum_ was identified in the 8-fold diluted sample of the acetate buffer extract, the same inhibitory effect was observed at higher sample concentrations in enzyme-treated extracts (Table 2). Unlike the notable increase in antioxidant capacity, the enzyme-assisted treatment did not result in enhanced antimicrobial activity for hawthorn fruit extracts compared to acetate buffer extraction (Table 2). Even though the increased yield of catechin and ferulic acid after enzyme treatment (Table 1) may exert an oxidative stress-inducing effect in bacteria, which may result in an increased antimicrobial effect [54]. In fact, different bacteria can show different sensitivity to extracts, and the increased carbohydrate oligomer content of extracts produced by enzymatic treatments can support the bacterial growth, as has been described for the formation of bacterial biofilms as well [27]. Additionally, it was also reported that the concentration of certain phenolic compounds is not necessarily responsible for the antimicrobial effect [27]. An inhibitory effect may also be due to synergy between phenolics [55; 56] and/or the presence of other phenols not detected in our tests. Anyway, both the samples extracted with acetate buffer and the samples treated with carbohydrates enzymes can be considered as growth inhibitors for the tested bacteria. It is worth noting, however, that the inhibitory effect of the obtained hawthorn extracts was weak considering the MIC value ranges reported by [PERSON] et al. [57] for edible plant extracts potentially used in the treatment of infectious and systemic diseases. For further comparison, the growth of the _E. coli_, _P. aeruginosa_, and _B. subtilis_ strains involved in this study was strongly inhibited by 1 ug/disc streptomycin in our previous assay [27]. However, 10 ug/disc amounts of phenolic acid, flavonoid, and stilbene compounds were not effective against the growth of these isolates, and the MIC values for the phenolics tested ranged between 125 and >500 ug/mL [27]. The inhibitory effect of hawthorn samples could be ascribed to the direct interaction of polyphenols in extracts with the cell membrane, causing its damage and, thereby, the leakage of intracellular substances and/or the intake of extracellular inhibitor compounds such as phenolic molecules [4]. _Crataegus_ extracts have been documented to be potential antimicrobial agents against a variety of bacteria. [PERSON] et al. [58], for instance, determined a 62.5 mg/mL MIC value for _C. monogyna_ aqueous ethanolic extracts against _E. coli_. The solvent extracts of _C. monogyna_ fruit were also effective against bacteria such as _P. aeruginosa_, _B. subtilis_, _E. coli_, and _Staphylococcus aureus_, with MIC values between 0.625 mg/mL and >10 mg/mL depending on the solvent used for extraction [59]. _C. oxyacantha_ in 10 mg/mL concentration exhibited an inhibition zone of 22 and 27 mm against _E. coli_ and _P. aeruginosa_, respectively, but no inhibition was determined against _B. subtilis_[3]. Considerable inhibition was reported against _S. aureus_ and _Streptococcus faecalis_ for _C. azarolus_ leaves and fruit peel extracts in the study of [PERSON] et al. [60]. A strong antimicrobial action against the growth \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Extracts**} & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**MIC (mg/mL)**} \\ \cline{2-7}  & _E. coli_ & _P. aeruginosa_ & _B. subtilis_ & _C. violaceum_ & _W. anomalous_ & _D. hansenii_ \\ \hline C & 15.0 & 30.1 & 30.1 & 15.0 & 120.2 & >120.2 \\ S1 & 22.0 & 44.1 & 44.1 & 88.1 & >176.2 & >176.2 \\ S2 & 38.9 & 38.9 & 38.9 & 77.9 & >155.7 & >155.7 \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of _C. orientalis_ fruit extracts prepared with acetate buffer extraction (C), cellulase (S1), and cellulase–pectinase (S2) treatments against selected bacteria and yeasts. of _B. cereus_, _S. aureus_, _E.