Pomegranate-Derived Zinc Oxide Coupled with Red Cabbage and Beetroot for Potent Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Defense

Pomegranate-Derived Zinc Oxide Coupled with Red Cabbage and Beetroot for Potent Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Defense | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Pomegranate-Derived Zinc Oxide Coupled with Red Cabbage and Beetroot for Potent Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Defense Amany Abd El-Halim, Haifa E. Alfassam, Abdullah A. Eweis, Nabil Hafez, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9340523/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 12 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The global rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and persistent microbial contamination urgently demands the development of safe, sustainable, and effective antimicrobial alternatives. Addressing this challenge, this study introduces a novel green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using pomegranate peel extract, further enhanced through the incorporation of red cabbage (RC) and beetroot (BR) extracts—both rich in potent bioactive compounds. This innovative approach not only utilizes agricultural waste and natural antioxidants but also creates multifunctional nanocomposites with superior bioactivity. Structural characterization via FTIR and XRD confirmed that RC-ZnO NPs exhibited higher crystallinity and peak density, while BR-ZnO NPs showed distinct composite formation, both contributing to enhanced performance. RC-ZnO NPs demonstrated outstanding antioxidant activity with 92.03% DPPH radical scavenging and an IC50 of 1.93 mg/mL, surpassing BR-ZnO NPs (60.5%, IC50 3.013 mg/mL) and unmodified ZnO NPs. Antimicrobial tests revealed that RC-ZnO and BR-ZnO NPs significantly improved antibacterial activity, producing inhibition zones up to 21 mm against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus , alongside strong antifungal effects against Penicillium roquefortii and Aspergillus niger . Furthermore, the composites effectively inhibited biofilm formation by up to 89.4%, and growth curve analysis confirmed substantial suppression of Staphylococcus aureus , supported by increased protein leakage from bacterial cells. These findings demonstrate the novelty and significance of combining ZnO NPs with plant-based extracts to create eco-friendly, high-performance nanocomposites, offering a promising strategy for combating resistant pathogens, controlling biofilms, and promoting sustainable solutions in food safety and healthcare applications. Biological sciences/Biotechnology Physical sciences/Materials science Biological sciences/Microbiology Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology Biological sciences/Plant sciences Green synthesis zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) Natural Preservatives antimicrobial activity antioxidant properties biofilm inhibition antibiotic resistance sustainable nanocomposites Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 04 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 27 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 22 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 19 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 14 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 08 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 08 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 07 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9340523","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":627733947,"identity":"a0304088-9e97-4eea-ba2a-ce5284613587","order_by":0,"name":"Amany Abd El-Halim","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Fayoum University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Amany","middleName":"Abd","lastName":"El-Halim","suffix":""},{"id":627733950,"identity":"a3cb619e-5a8c-4acd-a9c1-1dbc3f89fe85","order_by":1,"name":"Haifa E. 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Addressing this challenge, this study introduces a novel green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using pomegranate peel extract, further enhanced through the incorporation of red cabbage (RC) and beetroot (BR) extracts\u0026mdash;both rich in potent bioactive compounds. This innovative approach not only utilizes agricultural waste and natural antioxidants but also creates multifunctional nanocomposites with superior bioactivity. Structural characterization via FTIR and XRD confirmed that RC-ZnO NPs exhibited higher crystallinity and peak density, while BR-ZnO NPs showed distinct composite formation, both contributing to enhanced performance. RC-ZnO NPs demonstrated outstanding antioxidant activity with 92.03% DPPH radical scavenging and an IC50 of 1.93 mg/mL, surpassing BR-ZnO NPs (60.5%, IC50 3.013 mg/mL) and unmodified ZnO NPs. Antimicrobial tests revealed that RC-ZnO and BR-ZnO NPs significantly improved antibacterial activity, producing inhibition zones up to 21 mm against \u003cem\u003eBacillus cereus\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eStaphylococcus aureus\u003c/em\u003e, alongside strong antifungal effects against \u003cem\u003ePenicillium roquefortii\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e. Furthermore, the composites effectively inhibited biofilm formation by up to 89.4%, and growth curve analysis confirmed substantial suppression of \u003cem\u003eStaphylococcus aureus\u003c/em\u003e, supported by increased protein leakage from bacterial cells. These findings demonstrate the novelty and significance of combining ZnO NPs with plant-based extracts to create eco-friendly, high-performance nanocomposites, offering a promising strategy for combating resistant pathogens, controlling biofilms, and promoting sustainable solutions in food safety and healthcare applications.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Pomegranate-Derived Zinc Oxide Coupled with Red Cabbage and Beetroot for Potent Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Defense","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-24 06:10:18","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9340523/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-04T09:09:39+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-27T07:52:09+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-22T11:55:57+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-19T11:53:48+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"21609493010739207959435207437336339600","date":"2026-04-19T10:12:15+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"25754342130655327609635349339072407996","date":"2026-04-17T11:50:57+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"55557077745416110185823897491482596439","date":"2026-04-17T10:18:03+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-17T07:26:07+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-14T11:12:19+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-04-08T09:47:04+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-04-08T09:46:37+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2026-04-07T06:29:11+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"7307beff-0150-461b-9d88-fcc2bfc9cb7e","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 24th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-04T09:09:39+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"in-revision","subjectAreas":[{"id":66814080,"name":"Biological sciences/Biotechnology"},{"id":66814081,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science"},{"id":66814082,"name":"Biological sciences/Microbiology"},{"id":66814083,"name":"Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology"},{"id":66814084,"name":"Biological sciences/Plant sciences"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-04T09:24:17+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-24 06:10:18","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9340523","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9340523","identity":"rs-9340523","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}