Novel functional material incorporating flexirubin-type pigment in polyvinyl alcohol_kefiran/polycaprolactone nanofibers

Abstract

In this study, needleless electrospinning technology was used to obtain flexirubin (F)-loaded polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)_kefiran (KF)/polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun nanofibers. The SEM images of PVA_KF_ F and PCL_F nanofibers displayed beadless morphology with average diameters of 211.90 ± 96.08 and 1610.71 ± 996.68 nm, respectively. FTIR-ATR analysis revealed increased intensity at specific wavelengths, after pigment incorporation. The high porosity exhibited by each layer and the mechanical properties of the double-layered nanofibrous material remained unaffected after flexirubin-type pigment incorporation. In addition, PVA_KF_F/PCL_F nanofibers showed antioxidant activity of 41.03 ± 0.29%, evaluated by the scavenging of the ABTS radical as well as the ability to reduce enzymatic browning of apple slices. Thus, we believe that the fabricated PVA_KF_F/PCL_F double-layered material can be considered for application in active food packaging systems.