Fast and extracellular synthesis of zinc oxide nanocrystals using the novel isolated yeast strain Candida sp. MY2

Microorganisms as potent eco-friendly green nanofactories have the potential to control the size and shape of biological nanostructures. Zinc oxide nanoparticles have found much potential in pharmaceuticals، biological sciences، biomedical sciences and therapy diagnosis. In the current investigation، the native yeast strains screen as potent biocatalysts for extracelluar synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles. Using enrichment culture، 7 yeast strains isolated from collecting soil samples from Cooper mines. Among them، the strain MY2 had a great potential for extracellular synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles. The isolated yeast strain selected and identified as Candida sp. strain MY2 (GenBank accession number KF560329) based on phenotypic and molecular characteristics. The production of ZnO nanoparticles in bioconversion mixture was studied using UV-vis spectroscopy. The XRD analysis confirmed that the produced ZnO nanoparticles are in the form of nanocrystaline. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Particle size analyzer were used to carry out surface morphology and size distribution characteristics of the produced nanoparticles. The results obtained in this investigation showed the potential of yeast strain of Candida sp. MY2 to produce fast and extracellular of ZnO nanoparticles and it can be used as safe and cost effective biocatalyst to catalysis ZnO nanoparticles with narrow particle size distribution in the range of 5-50 nm and an average size 23. 5 nm after incubation for 8 hours.