ABSTRACTMembrane fractions obtained from Escherichia coli, Gluconobacter oxydans, and Acetobacter xylinum significantly stimulated rapid growth of Listeria monocytogenes (strains 101, 103, and Scott A) under atmospheric conditions of the OmniSpec Bioactivity System. L. monocytogenes demonstrated a shorter lag phase and faster growth compared to culture systems without the membrane fractions as determined by shorter color detection times, the durations of time for a significant color change to occur. The growth stimulating effect increased as the concentrations of membrane fractions increased. The use of membrane fractions to recover facultative Listeria spp. also lowered the detection limit of the method to<10 cells/ml by increasing small cell numbers to the detectable level (107cells/m) faster under aerobic conditions. The application of membrane fractions with the OmniSpec Bioactivity System shortened the detection time for the bacteria by 0.5–10 h, depending on the specific membrane and initial cell concentrations, compared to the conventional OmniSpec method. This method is very useful as a tool for studying food microbiology. Membrane fractions produced in our laboratory effectively dissipated oxygen in Fraser broth and had growth‐enhancing activities comparable to that of commercial Oxyras