Hydrogel is a three‐dimensional, hydrophilic network of cross‐linked monomer or polymer units. A modified version of the hydrogel which exhibits antimicrobial properties is known as antimicrobial hydrogel. Antimicrobial properties of the antimicrobial hydrogel are due to the inheritance of antimicrobial monomers/polymers or due to the installation by the incorporation of antimicrobial agents such as a metal nanoparticle, metal oxide, antibiotics, and any other synthetic drug molecule. More attention has been taken towards antimicrobial hydrogel as the pharmaceutical and biomedical field facing the problem of drug resistance. Antimicrobial hydrogel provides a suitable alternative for antibiotic drugs and also successful to replace many antibiotic drugs which cause a serious side effect on the human body. Antimicrobial hydrogel targets the cell membrane of the microorganism and destroys them. Due to this unique type of cell lysis mechanism, microbes are rarely able to develop resistance towards antimicrobial hydrogel. The hydrogel is porous, highly flexible, and holds a particular amount of water. These properties impart a moist and living body tissue‐like environment and hence make it a suitable biomaterial to use in biomedical applications. The present article focused on the recent development of bio‐based antimicrobial hydrogels and their applications in drug delivery, wound healing and dressing, tissue engineering, and agriculture.

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Background: Plastics are indispensable for our society. The extensive use of petroleum-based plastic and dumping of the same in soil and water body greatly affects our environment and biodiversity. However, biodegradable plastics can reduce the volume of waste in packaging materials. Therefore, biomass-derived polymers are promising alternatives of the petroleum-based non-degradable polymer to address the environmental issues. Objective: A large number of reports on the synthesis and characterization of starch-based bioplastic are available in the literature. However, a detailed biodegradation study of the starch-based bioplastic is rarely reported. We have prepared potato starch-based bioplastic with the combination of various plasticizers (glycerol, sorbitol, and xylitol) through hydrogel formation and carried out their biodegradation study. Method: Present study investigated the biodegradation of potato starch-based bioplastic in the natural environment, in cultured bacteria, and with fungal α-amylase. Results: Starch-based plastic is completely degraded in the natural environment within two months. Bacteria culture in solid media resulted in various types of bacterial colonies. Among the various bacterial colonies, the white circular colony was the major bacteria that degrade starch-based plastic. Furthermore, we screened the starch-based plastic degrading bacteria and isolated the pure culture through the streak plate method. Conclusion: n presence of cultured bacteria and with fungal α-amylase, starch-based plastic is completely degraded within 96h and 48h respectively.