Research Projects

The research component of the project, will investigate the use of polyphenol-loaded and silver-doped ZnO nanoparticles, addressing the issue of bacterial spoilage of vegetables and fruits. It will use plant polyphenols in an attempt to achieve optimum size and structure of the ZnO-NPs and Ag-ZnO-NCs necessary for effective bacterial killing and biofilm disruption. Polyphenol-loading will also be investigated as a strategy to reduce the toxicity of nanoparticles. In the training component,the workshop themes will address training of UG, PG and Research students in areas of nanobiotechnology, molecular biology and bioinformatics, microbiology and immunology. In the outreach programmes, an entrepreneurial thrust has been given with the focus onvalue addition and utilization of locally available resources. The faculty development programmes will address the training needs of faculty for harnessing modern tools of biology and also emphasize the quantitative understanding of biology.

Twenty grams of dried tea leaves were infused in 200 ml boiling water for 5min, after which the leaves were filtered out. The resulting infusion contained catechins along with other water-soluble compounds and pigments. To remove caffeine and other pigments, the infusion was extracted with dichloromethane. The aqueous layer, containing catechins, was then subjected to ethyl acetate extraction to obtain the catechin fraction. Twenty grams of dried tea leaves were infused in 200 ml boiling water for 5min, after which the leaves were filtered out. The resulting infusion contained catechins along with other water-soluble compounds and pigments. To remove caffeine and other pigments, the infusion was extracted with dichloromethane. The aqueous layer, containing catechins, was then subjected to ethyl acetate extraction to obtain the catechin fraction.