In vitro antimicrobial activity evaluation of AgNPs and lemon peel extracts

Quality assurance in fresh food, as well as biosafety for human consumption has led us to develop technological alternatives that guarantee food safety in the face of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. An alternative is nanomaterials, which have multiple properties or mechanisms of action, such as antimicrobials, antifungals and / or antivirals, making them an alternative as a biocidal agent of great interest in the current pandemic that humanity is experiencing. nowadays. In this work, a preliminary study is presented on the in vitro antimicrobial action mechanism of aqueous extracts of lemon peel mixed with a colloidal solution of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) biosynthesized from plant extracts, and with a range of diameters between 20 and 50 nm. The microbiological tests in Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) demonstrated a growth inhibitory effect for all treatments with AgNPs, while for the extracts a reduced inhibitory effect was observed in disk diffusion and null for the test in nutritive broth. As a result of preliminary studies in lemons, we conclude that the use of nanotechnology in colloidal solution for the agricultural area promotes food safety and its application can be extended to other agricultural products susceptible to contamination.