KOCHI: The Kochi-based Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) has received an Indian patent for a novel antimicrobial booster technology developed by the institution.
The invention provides a method to coat zinc oxide nanoparticles with the naturally occurring microbial pigment violacein. The technology has potential applications in antimicrobial medical, biomedical and pharmaceutical formulations, as well as food preservation.
Violacein is a violet-coloured microbial pigment produced by certain bacteria, particularly Chromobacterium violaceum. It is known for its antimicrobial properties. Zinc oxide nanoparticles are also known for their antimicrobial activity.
The patented process combines violacein with zinc oxide nanoparticles through a coating process. The resulting violacein-coated nanoparticles showed enhanced antimicrobial activity and reduced toxicity compared with uncoated zinc oxide nanoparticles.
Under the tested conditions, the coated nanoparticles showed approximately three to four times higher antimicrobial activity than the earlier material.
The patented method offers a novel approach to enhancing the functional properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles using a natural microbial pigment.
The team that developed the technology comprises Visnuvinayagam Sivam, Teena George, Murugadas Vaiyapuri, Toms Cheriath Joseph, Rangasamy Anandan, Gopalan Krishnan Sivaraman, Thangaraj Raja Swaminathan and George Ninan.