Biogenic Synthesis, Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of Silver Nanoparticles Mediated by Oil Extracted from Waste Seeds of Citrus Sinensis

Abstract

Nanoparticles have gained significant importance due to their small size and effective surface area. Green synthesis of nanoparticles has become a significant tool in material synthesis due to its eco-friendly, economical and less time-consuming aspects. Sweet lime (Citrus sinensis) peel has been used for extract preparation and synthesis of AgNPs. Such nanoparticles have been shown to have excellent anti-microbial and detoxification properties. Though a large number of studies have shown synthesis of AgNP from peel and other parts of C. sinensis, there are no reports of AgNP synthesis from oil extracted from seeds. In this study, oil was extracted from C. sinensis seeds by solvent extraction. The extracted oil was used for the synthesis of AgNPs by bottom-up path approach. The synthesized AgNPs were found to be spherical in shape with size ranging from 30[Formula: see text]nm and above. SEM and TEM showed that they are uniformly dispersed particles with no aggregation. Different concentrations of AgNO3 (1[Formula: see text]mM, 3[Formula: see text]mM and 10[Formula: see text]mM) showed distinct UV spectra with UV showing sharp peaks for 10[Formula: see text]mM. XRD characterization showed distinct peaks for AgNP when compared to oil extracted. The synthesized AgNPs in this study showed distinct antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. The AgNPs showed antifungal activity against Pencillium and Rhizopus. Thus, the synthesized AgNPs could be effective antimicrobial agents that could have potential application in food storage and water detoxification.