Impregnation of cotton fabric with silver nanoparticles synthesized by dextran isolated from bacterial species Leuconostoc mesenteroides T3

•Dextran from Leuconostoc mesenteroides T3 isolated from water kefir grain.•Microwave assisted synthesis of colloidal silver nanoparticles using dextran.•Cotton fabric impregnation with silver nanoparticles.•Excellent antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. aureus and C. albicans. This study was aimed to highlight the possibility of cotton fabric impregnation with silver nanoparticles synthesized by dextran isolated from Leuconostoc mesenteroides T3 in order to obtain antimicrobial properties. The fabrication of dextran was proved by FTIR spectroscopy. Particle sizes of synthesized dextran and silver nanoparticles were measured by dynamic light scattering method. The presence of silver nanoparticles on the surface of cotton fabric was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction measurements and reflectance spectrophotometry. Antimicrobial activity of cotton fabric impregnated with silver nanoparticles was tested against bacteria Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and fungus Candida albicans. The results indicated that synthesized silver nanoparticles can provide satisfactory antimicrobial activity. However, maximum reduction (99.9%) of all tested microorganisms can be obtained only when 1.0mmolL−1 colloid consisting of silver nanoparticles is applied.