Aloe vera Nanofibers Contained Pseudomonas Bacteriophages Fabrication, Characterization, and Biofunction

Recently electrospun nanofibers have been fabricated from biodegradable polymers, which received attention due to their applications in various fields such as packaging nanomaterials. In this study, Aloe vera nanofibers which contained Pseudomonas sp. bacteriophages were fabricated using electrospinning machine. The nanofibers were characterized ultra-structurally using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Mechanical stress of the nanofibers was measured using tensile test system (TTS). Thermodynamical characteristics of the nanofibers were analyzed via simultaneous thermal analyzer (STA). Moreover, the biofunction of the electrospun nanofibers was checked via microbial experiments. The results demonstrated significant changes in the morphology of aloe vera nanofibers after addition of the phages. The roughness parameters and topographical ultra-structures of the aloe vera nanofibers were also changed significantly due to presence of the phages. Also, thermal stability and flexibility of the nanofibers were improved after containing the phage particles, because of higher thermodynamical and mechanical parameters of the phages in comparison to aloe vera substances. The antimicrobial properties of the aloe vera nanofibers which contained bacteriophages were significantly increased due to synergetic antimicrobial properties of the phages when electrospun with the aloe vera nanofibers. These findings suggested the nanofibers as hybrid nanomaterials for employing in food packaging.

Automated summary

In this study, Aloe vera nanofibers containing Pseudomonas sp. bacteriophages were fabricated using an electrospinning machine. The nanofibers were characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM), tensile test system (TTS), and simultaneous thermal analyzer (STA). The addition of phages significantly changed the morphology, roughness, and topographical ultra-structures of the nanofibers, as well as improved their thermal stability, flexibility, and antimicrobial properties. These findings suggest that the nanofibers can be utilized as hybrid nanomaterials for food packaging.