A novel antioxidant and antimicrobial food packaging based on Eudragit ®/collagen electrospun nanofiber incorporated with bitter orange peel essential oil

• Published in: Food science & technology 2024-02, Vol.193, p.115730, Article 115730
• Main Authors: Talib Al-Sudani, Basma, Khoshkalampour, Ali, Kamil, Marwa M., Al-Musawi, Mastafa H., Mohammadzadeh, Vahid, Ahmadi, Shaghayegh, Ghorbani, Marjan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Active food packaging; Collagen; Controlled release; Electrospinning; Porous nanofibers
• ISSN: 0023-6438; 1096-1127
• DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2024.115730

A novel nanofiber for potential use in food packaging was developed by blending Eudragit ® (Eu) and collagen (Co) at varying ratios. Among these blends, Eu/Co nanofiber with a 70:30 ratio was identified as the optimal composition due to its bead-free morphology, fine fiber diameter (279.6 nm), high tensile stress (6.9 MPa), desirable water contact angle (WCA) of 72.18°, low water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of 423.51 g/m2 × 24 h, and favorable porosity (65.4%). To further enhance its properties, bitter orange peel essential oil (BE) (up to 100 μL/mL) was incorporated into the optimal blend, resulting in a reduced fiber diameter (211.6 nm), increased tensile stress (8.5 MPa), and enhanced porosity (73.5%). Moreover, BE induced potential antimicrobial and antioxidant activities in the nanofibers, effectively inhibiting the growth of E. coli and S. aureus bacteria while scavenging up to 50% of DPPH radicals, respectively. Importantly, none of the nanofiber samples exhibited cytotoxicity toward Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) over a 72-h period, demonstrating their biocompatibility. These findings highlight the suitability of Eu and Co-based nanofibers enriched with bioactive compounds like BE for use in food packaging applications. •A nanofiber was developed by blending Eudragit and collagen at varying ratios.•Eu/Co nanofiber was identified with bead-free morphology and fine fiber diameter.•Good tensile stress and desirable water contact angle was observed.•The nanofibers showed low water vapor transmission rate and favorable porosity.•The nanofibers presented outstanding antibacterial and antioxidant functions.