Antibacterial activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized by solochemical process

ZnO-NPs can be obtained through various methods, resulting in nanoparticles with different size and morphology, which directly influences their antimicrobial potential. The objective of this work was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of ZnO-NPs obtained by a solochemical process against important human foodborne pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Typhimurium, Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. ZnO-NPs were identified as nanorods with the length between 90.1 and 100 nm (10.5 % frequency), the diameter between 80.1 and 90 nm (21 % frequency), and wurtzite type crystalline structure. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) were equal to 0.05 mg mL^-1 and 0.5 mg mL^-1 for S. aureus and S. Typhimurium, respectively, lower than previous results related in the literature. ZnONPs produced by solochemical method had a superior antibacterial activity. For instance, they can be incorporated in packaging materials for increasing microbial safety and food shelf-life by inhibiting bacterial growth. (author)