There is currently an increasing commercial demand for silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) due to their wide applicability in various markets. Because of their powerful antimicrobial properties, these nanoparticles are frequently used for food-associated consumer products. In this paper, the effect of two Ag NPs coated with biocompatible materials – PEG-Ag NPs 20 (polyethylene glycol) and GSH-Ag NPs (reduced glutathione) – to control microbial growth in wines was assessed. Both Ag NPs were subjected to an in vitro three-step digestion, and changes in their morphology and an assessment of their cytotoxicity against Caco-2 cells were determined. Both Ag NPs were effective against the different microbial population present in tested wines. Regarding their in vitro digestion, the size and shape of the nanoparticles were almost unaltered in the case of GSH-Ag NPs, while in PEG-Ag NPs 20 some particle agglomeration was observed. Overall, these results suggest that Ag NPs may reach the intestine in a nano-scaled form. Finally, Caco-2 cell experiments seemed to exclude toxicity of Ag NPs at the intestinal epithelium.

Industrial relevance

Traditionally, sulphur dioxide (SO₂) has been used by oenologists to control the microbial population in wine. As a result of increasing evidence of possible health risks associated with this additive in wine, there has been growing interest in finding new alternatives to replace it. Silver nanoparticles display a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, so they could constitute a very promising approach to reducing SO₂ in winemaking.

中文翻译：

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关于生物相容性银纳米颗粒在酿酒中潜在用途的一些新发现

由于银纳米颗粒（Ag NPs）在各种市场中的广泛应用，目前商业需求不断增长。由于其强大的抗菌性能，这些纳米颗粒经常用于食品相关的消费产品。在本文中，评估了两种涂有生物相容性材料的Ag NPs（PEG-Ag NPs 20（聚乙二醇）和GSH-Ag NPs（还原型谷胱甘肽））对葡萄酒中微生物生长的控制作用。两种Ag NP均经过体外三步消化，确定了它们的形态变化以及对Caco-2细胞的细胞毒性评估。两种银纳米粒均有效对抗测试葡萄酒中存在的不同微生物种群。关于他们的体外消化后，对于GSH-Ag NP，纳米颗粒的大小和形状几乎没有改变，而在PEG-Ag NP中20观察到一些颗粒团聚。总体而言，这些结果表明，银纳米颗粒可能以纳米级形式到达肠道。最后，Caco-2细胞实验似乎排除了Ag NP在肠上皮细胞中的毒性。

行业相关性

传统上，酿酒师已使用二氧化硫（SO ₂）控制葡萄酒中的微生物种群。由于越来越多的证据表明与葡萄酒中这种添加剂有关的健康隐患，人们对寻找替代它的新替代品的兴趣日益浓厚。银纳米颗粒显示出广泛的抗菌活性，因此它们可以构成减少酿酒过程中SO ₂的非常有前途的方法。