A novel method for biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using a polyphenolic pigment (melanin) has been proposed to impart antimicrobial properties to wool fabric. A diphenolic catechol has been combined with potato juice to produce melanin, which is used as a simultaneous reducing and dispersing agent for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The process variables used for the synthesis of melanin have been optimized to produce melanin with maximum reduction potential. The synthesized silver nanoparticles are then characterized and quantified. The optimum conditions used for the synthesis of melanin are found to be 0.1% catechol, 25% potato juice, 6.5 pH, 95˚C temperature and 45 min treatment time. Spherical shaped silver nanoparticles with average sizes of 35 nm and 50 nm are obtained and then applied on wool fabrics by exhaustion method to observe antimicrobial effect. It is observed that the treated wool has excellent antimicrobial activity against both the Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) bacteria.

中文翻译：

---

黑色素生物合成银纳米颗粒的新方法及其在羊毛上的抗菌作用

已经提出了一种使用多酚颜料（黑色素）生物合成银纳米粒子的新方法，以赋予羊毛织物抗菌性能。已将二酚邻苯二酚与马铃薯汁混合以生产黑色素，该黑色素被用作同时还原和分散剂，用于合成银纳米颗粒。已优化用于合成黑色素的工艺变量，以生产具有最大还原潜力的黑色素。然后表征和定量合成的银纳米颗粒。发现用于合成黑色素的最佳条件是0.1％儿茶酚，25％土豆汁，6.5 pH，95°C温度和45分钟处理时间。获得球形平均粒径为35 nm和50 nm的球形银纳米粒子，然后用吸力法将其涂覆在羊毛织物上以观察抗菌效果。观察到，处理过的羊毛对金黄色葡萄球菌（革兰氏阳性）和大肠杆菌（革兰氏阴性）细菌均具有优异的抗菌活性。