## 1 Introduction
The demand for synthetic antioxidants/antimicrobials, such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), sodium ascorbate, and propyl gallate (PG), has decreased in recent years due to their safety and potential toxicological and carcinogenic effects [4; 5; 16; 17]. On the other hand, the demand for clean-label foods has increased, and the use of natural and bioactive compounds (BACs), especially those of plant origin, as preservatives has gained wide interest and has attracted the attention of researchers. Furthermore, several essential oils (EOs) and their BACs have been documented and considered to be 'Generally Recognized as Safe' (GRAS) to be applied in different food systems and have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Union in the Council Directive No. 95/2/EC of 20 February 1995 on the regulation on food additives, and the European Commission (2002/113/EC, 2002) [18; 19]. Numerous natural-occurring derivatives such as carvacrol, thymol, cinnamaldehyde, allyl-isothiocyanate, eugenol, linalool, piperine, and others are utilized as BACs in meat and food products. Several of these BACs are receiving significant attention due to their multiple antimicrobial, flavoring, antioxidant, and organoleptic properties in preserving and enhancing the nutritional quality of meat and other food products [20]. More specifically, it is advantageous for improving the production of healthier meat and meat products [5; 18], as an antimicrobial to eliminate undesirable food-borne pathogens, and to control spoilage microorganisms [21; 22; 23], to prevent food discoloration, to decrease the dependency on antibiotics, as an antioxidant to reduce lipid/protein oxidation and to prevent the production of secondary products that cause oxidative reactivity issues [24], and to extend shelf life [25; 26; 27]. Furthermore, to improve the effectiveness of BACs' different food matrices, they may be applied in combination with other hurdles such as active or modified atmosphere packaging [3], high-pressure processing [1], and coating agents containing BACs such as carrageenan/chitosan [28; 29]. However, only low concentrations of BACs can be used to preserve meat, due to their strong flavor properties. Moreover, certain properties of BACs such as low aqueous solubility, pungent odor, and reactions with meat constituents may lead to a reduction in their antimicrobial activity, thus limiting their application in meat and other foods [30; 31]. Although the use of some BACs and EOs as meat preservatives has been investigated, they have not been commercially utilized. This requires in-depth knowledge of the minimum acceptable concentration and the mechanism of action related to the mentioned properties in the preservation of meat and other food products [32; 33]. Allyl-isothiocyanate (AITC) is a naturally occurring BAC present in cruciferous plants, predominantly in their seeds, stems, leaves, and roots. AITC is an aliphatic sulfur-containing and colorless volatile compound [34]. Plants containing AITC include horseradish, cabbage, wasabi, Brussels sprouts, watercress, broccoli, and cauliflower [35; 36; 37]. It comprises almost 90% of the composition of horseradish root [38]. The use of AITC in food preservation has already been approved in Japan [26] and is considered as GRAS by the US FDA [39]. The use of BACs such as AITC in food as a food additive, flavoring, and anti-spoilage agent is currently being revised in Europe [40]. The aim of the current study was to assess the in vitro antimicrobial properties of eight natural BACs and determine the BAC with the widest range of in vitro antibacterial activity at various concentrations in refrigerated fresh minced chicken meat.