Preparation of electrospun hybrid polyacrylonitrile nanofibers containing TiO2/Fe3O4 and their capsaicinoids adsorption applications

Abstract

Capsaicinoids are a group of alkaloids responsible for the pungent and spicy flavor in chili peppers, with bioactive properties. Spray of pepper made from the active ingredient of capsicum oleoresin and other inert ingredients. In this study, polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/TiO2/Fe3O4 composite nanofiber was prepared by electrospinning method. To optimize the factors effecting diameter of membrane, Taguchi method was applied. Optimum conditions such as 9 wt% PAN, 10 wt% TiO2/Fe3O4, voltage 10 kV, and 20 cm needle tip-to-collector distance were selected. The specific surface area of nanofiber, 10.51 m2g-1, was confirmed by nitrogen sorption isotherm analysis. Then, nanofiber was used as a new absorbent membrane for adsorption of capsaicinoids. After optimizing conditions using Central Composite Design (CCD), the high efficincy was obtained by 50 mg/mL nanofiber membrane, which exhibited about 96 % adsorption efficiency after 10 min contact time for 1 mg/mL of capsaicinoids. The obtained membrane could be reused for capsicinoids adsorption with high efficiency for multiply times. The results showed that the obtained nanofiber membrane has the great potential to be used in protective clothing and chemical masks to absorb the active ingredients in spray pepper.