## 4 Conclusions  
The bacon samples enriched with _Rosa damascena_ distillation by-product extract (RSE) presented the lowest microbial growth rate for all microorganisms examined, followed by the samples representing the conventional manufacture procedure (CNT, containing the maximum nitrite content permitted). On the other hand, rose-rosemary extract did not show any particular antimicrobial effect in this study, as would be anticipated based on the available literature. At the lowest temperature, 5 \({}^{\circ}\)C (-refrigerated conditions), the lowest microbial growth rates and the maximum lag phase (\(\lambda\)) were observed for all of the examined bacon samples, as expected. An important observation in our study is that at that at this temperature, simulating the proper refrigerated conditions, the microbial stability was significantly improved when the rose extract replaced half of the nitrites.  
On the other hand, at the highest tested temperatures (10, and 15 \({}^{\circ}\)C), natural antimicrobials appear to have only a mild positive effect on microbial growth.  
The color of the bacon samples, a crucial factor influencing consumer acceptability and a primary reason for the amount of nitrite additives used, appeared to be influenced by the reduced nitrite content in the RN and RSE-RSME samples. On the contrary, the RSE samples exhibited a color similar to the CNT samples, despite containing only half the amount of nitrites. This suggests that the rose extract used did not deteriorate color stability, offering a viable option for the reduction in the content of nitrites. Similar observations can be made for the overall sensory characteristics of the samples, with the RSE samples showing similar acceptability to the CNT samples. Overall, the results of this study provide preliminary proof on the potential use of rose extract (derived out of side streams of rose steam distillation) as an effective natural antimicrobial agent, that could potentially reduce or partially substitute nitrites in cured meat products. Given the current tendency of law and control authorities to reduce the nitrite/nitrate limit in food applications, it is important to investigate other sustainable sources of antimicrobial properties. As such, further studies on rose extract use as a natural preservative are essential, aiming mostly at optimizing the concentration applied in the infusion brine of bacon samples. This optimization should result in a novel meat product, with the minimum nitrite content possible (without jeopardizing product safety), the maximum delay in spoilage microorganisms, while obtaining the maximum retention of bacon's sensory attributes.  
Conceptualization, M.C.G. and S.J.K.; methodology, M.C.G., E.G., G.N.S. and S.J.K.; data curation, N.A.S., I.V.T., E.M., E.G. and S.J.K.; writing--original draft preparation, S.J.K., E.G., G.N.S., V.K., N.A.S. and I.V.T.; writing--review and editing, M.C.G. and S.J.K.; supervision, M.C.G., S.J.K., G.N.S. and E.G.; project administration, M.C.G.; funding acquisition, M.C.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research was co-financed by the European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Program \"Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation\", under the name \"RESEARCH-CREATE-INNOVATE\" (project code: T2 EDK-02569-Roseham).  
The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to Project Consortium ownership.