## 1 Introduction  
One of the major challenges facing the modern world is the balanced use of water resources [1]. The increasing impacts of climate change, manifested through water scarcity,droughs, and extreme flooding, affect the security of crop and livestock production, human health, and socioeconomic well-being [2; 3]. The reuse of water within the framework of a circular economy is a critical component of strategies to reduce water consumption, thereby promoting more efficient management of the resources [4]. In this context, agriculture, as the most water-intensive sector, is responsible for approximately 70% of global freshwater consumption [5; 6]. The fresh-cut fruits and vegetables processing sector is a major consumer of water, particularly during the initial stages of production. Water consumption and wastewater generation in the production of fresh-cut products typically range from 2 to 11 m\({}^{3}\) of water per ton of product and from 11 to 23 m\({}^{3}\) of wastewater per ton, respectively. This means that the production of one ton of fresh-cut fruits or vegetables requires several to over ten cubic meters of clean water, while the volume of wastewater generated can be up to twice as high. Such significant water use and wastewater generation are mainly associated with intensive washing and rinsing processes, which are essential for maintaining hygiene and ensuring the quality of products intended for direct consumption [7; 8; 9]. These processes primarily aim to remove organic matter residues and soil particles and reduce microbiological contamination of raw material [10]. From a microbiological risk perspective, the raw material can become contaminated at both the pre-harvest and post-harvest stages [11]. Wash water may act as a carrier of post-harvest contamination, contributing to cross-contamination, especially when water is not replaced between batches. Reusing the same water multiple times allows microbiological contaminants from one batch of fruits or vegetables to transfer to subsequent batches, thereby increasing the risk of pathogen propagation [12; 13]. From a processing perspective, microorganisms that affect the quality of the final product are particularly undesirable. These include filamentous fungi, yeasts, and saprotrophic bacteria, which contribute to raw material spoilage and shorten its shelf life, leading to premature product deterioration [14]. The second group comprises pathogens that pose a risk to public health, including the ESKAPE pathogens--_Enterococcus faecium_, _Staphylococcus aureus_, _Klebsiella pneumoniae_, _Acinetobacter humannii_, _Pseudomonas aeruginosa_, and _Enterobacter_ spp.--as well as _Salmonella_ spp., _Listeria monocytogenes_, _Clostridium_ spp., _Escherichia coli_, and coliforms [15; 16; 17; 18] (Figure 1). Potential effects of microbiological contamination of washwater in agri-food industry  
Considering the rational use of water within the principles of the circular economy, the optimal solution would be the reuse of rinse water following proper treatment. This approach minimizes wastewater generation in facilities within the agri-food sector [8]. A variety of methods are employed to purify rinse water, including physicochemical  
Figure 1: Diagram presenting the potential main risks associated with contamination of the wash water. processes such as sedimentation, flocculation, and filtration using sand, silica, and carbon, as well as advanced techniques like nano-ultrafiltration [19,20]. Pathogen inactivation is typically achieved through traditional methods involving chlorine compounds, which, although highly effective, can have adverse effects due to the formation of harmful by-products [21]. Consequently, there has been a growing body of research focused on the use of natural, non-invasive plant extracts against various strains, including multidrug-resistant bacteria, virulent strains, and clinical isolates [22, 23, 24].