Chapters authored
Syzygium cumini Mediated Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles for Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol and Assessment of Its Antibacterial Activity
The biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has become more significant in the recent years owing to its applications in catalysis, imaging, drug delivery, nano-device fabrication and in medicine. We propose the synthesis of silver nanoparticles from the plant extract of Syzygium cumini and evaluation of its antibacterial and chemocatalytic potential. Synthesis of AgNPs carried out by using aqueous silver nitrate. The UV–Vis absorption spectrum of the synthesized AgNPs showed a broad absorption peak at 470 nm. TEM analysis shows the morphology of AgNPs as a hexagonal matrix with average particle size is about 50 nm. XRD analysis displays the crystalline structure of AgNPs. The presence of elemental silver was confirmed with EDX analysis. FTIR analysis shows that amide groups present in proteins are dominant reducing agents and play an important role in the bioreduction of Ag+ ions to Ag0. The bioreduced AgNPs demonstrated significant catalytic properties in a reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol using NaBH4 in an aqueous condition. The biosynthesized AgNPs have potent antibacterial activity against common clinical pathogens. Considering the remarkable antibacterial activity against common pathogenic microorganisms, AgNPs can be used in the pharmaceutical industries.
Part of the book: Nanocomposite Materials for Biomedical and Energy Storage Applications
A Review on Vegetable Oil Refining: Process, Advances and Value Addition to Refining by-Products
Nowadays, consumer food choices are driven by health awareness and sustainability concerns. As vegetable oil is an important component of the human diet, the source and the processing play an important role in consumer acceptability. To remove impurities that affect the color, palatability, stability, and safety of oil, crude vegetable oil must be refined. This review highlights the processes and steps used in vegetable oil refining. Depending upon the oil source type, either chemical or physical refining is employed to get the desired oil specifications. Oil refining steps are sequential, with each step removing one or more specific impurities. Refining advances aim towards minimizing chemical usage, nutrient losses, oil losses, and avoiding the formation of trans-fatty acids. The review also discusses the prospect of using the refining by-product stream for obtaining high-value products like phosphatidylcholine, tocopherols, and tocotrienols. The edible oil industry can be made more economical and sustainable through the valorization and integration of waste product streams obtained at different refining steps.
Part of the book: Bioremediation for Global Environmental Conservation