Production of eco-friendly materials using Antarctic bacteria
Bacteria represent a relevant tool for the development of biotechnological applications. Indeed, bacteria can be exploited to produce new bioactive and/or eco-friendly materials that can be used in several fields, such as, for example, medicine, food technology, and cosmetics.
In our lab, Antarctic bacteria having different abilities have been characterized. One of these abilities is the production of metal nanoparticles in presence of heavy metals in the culture medium: nanoparticles having antibiotic/antifungal activity have been synthesized in this way, and they can inhibit growth of both bacterial and fungal pathogens.
Another application is the production of bacterial cellulose: this polymer, although it is chemically similar to its plant-derived counterpart, has features that make it very appealing for biomedical and in-dustrial applications. For example, bacterial cellulose is characterized by very high levels of purity, water-retention capacity, crystallinity, and mechanical strength.
Applications related to this Research Line are object of five patents recognized at national and interna-tional levels.
Keywords - ENGLISH
Antarctic bacteria, biomaterials, metal nanoparticles, bacterial cellulose
Active participants in the research line (PI last author or *)
Alberto Vassallo; Maria Chiara Biondini; Martina Di Sessa; Sandra Pucciarelli
Pillar
Environmental Sustainability
Macroareas in Environmental Sustainability
Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Ecology
Relevant research grants (national/international) funding specifically this Research Line
Unione europea - FSE, Pon Ricerca e Innovazione 2014-2020
Email Address
alberto.vassallo@unicam.it
Link to Relevant Publications