Synthesis of Silver Nanorods from Food Industrial Waste and Their Application in Improving the Keeping Quality of Milk

Abstract

A novel method for the synthesis of silver nanorods is reported, in which industrial milk waste was utilized, that were then used to extend the stability of milk. During the synthesis, the size of the silver nanorods were affected by pH and temperature. Silver nanorods were formed at alkaline pH in room temperature, whereas nanoparticles were formed in lower pH at elevated temperature. The obtained nanostructures were characterized by UV–visible spectrophotometer, energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). These silver nanorods were used to control coliform and standard plate count (SPC) in milk. This was confirmed by an increase in 4 to 5 folds of methylene blue reduction time as compared to the control. The Hom inactivation model was proposed to express microbial inactivation in milk. The cytotoxic effect of silver nanorods shows that they have been nontoxic to humans even at higher concentration.