Efficacy of

Introduction: The application of bacteriophages in food systems requires evaluation under conditions that reflect realistic storage scenarios. This study evaluated two lytic bacteriophages, SW03 and CF03, targeting Methods: Phage SW03, isolated from municipal sewage, and phage CF03, isolated from camel feces, were assessed in artificially contaminated beef, chicken, and lettuce stored at 4 and 21 °C. High initial bacterial loads were used to simulate stringent contamination conditions. Antibacterial activity was evaluated during storage, and biofilm reduction was assessed using crystal violet staining. Key biological characteristics, including MOI, one-step growth, adsorption kinetics, and thermal stability, were also evaluated. Results: Both phages reduced bacterial populations across all tested matrices, with detectable antibacterial activity after 4 h and greater reductions after 24 h. The highest reductions were observed in lettuce samples at 21 °C, reaching approximately 4.0 and 3.5 log CFU g Discussion: These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of SW03 and CF03 under food-relevant storage conditions with high initial bacterial loads and support their potential use as biocontrol agents in food systems.