TiO2 Nanoparticles from Baker��s Yeast: A Potent Antimicrobial

Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) has wide applications in food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing due to its many properties such as photocatalytic activity and stability. In this study, the biosynthesis of TiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) was achieved by using Baker's yeast. TiO 2 NPs were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), UV-Visible spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) studies. The XRD pattern confirmed the formation of pure anatase TiO 2 NPs. According to EDX data Ti, O, P and N were the key elements present in the sample. SEM and TEM revealed that the nanoparticles produced were spherical in shape with an average size of 6.7 ± 2.2 nm. The photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 NPs was studied by monitoring the degradation of methylene blue dye when treated with TiO 2 NPs. TiO 2 NPs were found to be highly photocatalytic comparable to commercially available 21 nm TiO 2 NPs. This study is the first report on antimicrobial study of yeast-mediated TiO 2 NPs synthesized using TiCl 3 . Antimicrobial activity of TiO 2 NPs was greater against selected Gram-positive bacteria and Candida albicans when compared to Gram-negative bacteria both in the presence or absence of sunlight exposure. TiO 2 NPs expressed a significant effect on microbial growth. The results indicate the significant physical properties and the impact of yeast-mediated TiO 2 NPs as a novel antimicrobial.