Eugenia uniflora linnaeus, known as Brazilian cherry, is widely distributed in
Brazil,
Argentina,
Uruguay, and
Paraguay. E. uniflora L. extracts contain
phenolic compounds, such as
flavonoids,
tannins,
triterpenes, and
sesquiterpenes. The antimicrobial action of
essential oils has been attributed to their compositions of bioactive compounds, such as
sesquiterpenes. In this
paper, the
fruit extract of E. uniflora was used to synthesize
silver and
gold nanoparticles. The
nanoparticles were characterized by UV–Vis,
transmission electron microscopy, elemental
analysis,
FTIR, and
Zeta potential measurement. The
silver and
gold nanoparticles prepared with
fruit extracts presented sizes of ~32 nm and 11 nm (diameter), respectively, and Zeta potentials of −22 mV and −14 mV. The antimicrobial tests were performed with Gram-negative and
Gram-positive bacteria and
Candida albicans. The
growth inhibition of EuAgNPs prepared with and without photoreduction showed the important functional groups in the antimicrobial activity.