Green biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using Torreya nucifera and their antibacterial activity

Silver nanoparticles were biosynthesized with the aid of a novel and eco-friendly biological material Torreya nucifera. Temperature and extract concentration were found to influence the size and shape of the biosynthesized silver nanoparticles. Morphological images of biosynthesized nanomaterials revealed that the particles are in spherical shape and size ranging between 10 and 125 nm. Crystalline nature of nanoparticles in face centered cubic (fcc) structure was ensured by diffraction pattern peaks corresponding to (1 1 1), (2 0 0), (2 2 0) and (3 1 1) planes. Characterization of the biosynthesized nanoparticles was performed by the X-ray diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy analyses. FT-IR analysis indicates that nanoparticles are bound to proteins through amine groups of the aminoacid. Furthermore the biosynthesized nanoparticles were found to be highly effective against Salmonella typhimurium bacterium, which validates its potential applications as antibacterial agents in drinking water treatment and in food packagings.