The purpose of this research was to assess growth response of a Salmonella typhimurium poultry marker strain to fresh homogenized vegetables. Salmonella growth rates were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in jalapeno extracts than any other produce extract examined. Growth rates on samples of broccoli and lettuce extracts were greater (p < 0.05) than the respective growth rates on bell pepper and tomato. Broccoli extracts yielded the highest extent of growth (4 h optical density) followed by jalapeno and bell pepper extracts. From this study, it appears that fresh produce extracts have different abilities to significantly alter growth response in Salmonella. This could potentially be explained by the variations of pH, nutrient availability to the bacteria, or unknown components found within fresh produce. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.