The role of Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss leaf extract in the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles as a antibacterial agent for use in food processing

Recently, the increasing negative reactions of consumers to chemical compounds and the use of antibiotics in agriculture has led to pressure for the development of alternative compounds as antimicrobial agents. Plant-based antimicrobials can be a good alternative, but they have limitations and may be lost during food processing. Therefore, the formulation of these Plant-based antimicrobials in the form of nanoparticles can solve these problems. Green synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using plant extracts are a highly active antimicrobial agent in the food industry. In the present study, green synthesized silver nanoparticles using Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss leaf aqueous extract (AgNPs-Dk) were applied as a novel antibacterial agent against a foodborne pathogen, i.e. multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a gram-negative model strain. According to the obtained results, the maximum zone of inhibition was ۱۳ mm and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of biogenic AgNPs-Dk was ۳۱.۲۵ μg/mL against MDR P. aeruginosa. Therefore, the biogenic AgNPs-Dk can be used as a new antibacterial agent in various fields, particularly in the food industry, such as food packaging and processing to remove foodborne pathogenicity.