Biodegradable and antimicrobial films based on poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) electrospun fibers

Abstract

Biodegradable poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) films incorporated with different levels of the antimicrobial peptide nisin were developed using the electrospinning technique. The characterization included thermal, structural, morphological, mechanical and antimicrobial properties. Thermal analysis indicated good thermal stability of PBAT. Nisin incorporation seems to increase nanofiber stability. The PBAT/nisin fibers presented no significant differences in the melting temperature (124–125.4 °C) and the glass transition temperature. PBAT showed characteristic diffraction peaks of the crystal structure. PBAT fibers were uniformly distributed and nisin was well dispersed throughout the fiber. The samples showed similar mechanical properties, and the addition of nisin caused no significant changes in the values of tensile strength, although Young’s modulus tended to decrease with higher nisin levels. Antimicrobial fibers inhibited the Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. These results provided insights into the interaction of nisin and PBAT in nanofibers produced by the electrospinning technique and their application in the food packaging industry.