Electrospun gelatin/chitosan nanofibers containing curcumin for multifunctional food packaging

Recently, food grade nanofiber-based materials have received growing attentions in food packaging. In this work, novel active and intelligent packaging nanofibers based on gelatin/ chitosan with curcumin (GA/CS/ CUR) were developed via electrospinning technique. Effects of the incorporation of CUR content (0.1%- 0.3%, m/m) on the microstructure and functional properties of the electrospun nanofibers were investigated. Morphological studies using scanning electron microscopy indicated that loading CUR can affect the average diameter of nanofiber mats, which remained around 160-180 nm. The addition of an appropriate level CUR (0.2%, m/m) led to a stronger intermolecular interaction, and thus enhanced the thermal stability and tensile strength of the obtained nanofibers. Meanwhile, the incorporation of CUR significantly improved antioxidant activity and the antimicrobial activity of GA/CS/CUR nanofibers. Moreover, the sensitivity of nanofibers to ammonia results indicated that GA/CS nanofibers containing 0.2% CUR (GA/CS/CUR II) presented high sensitivity of colorimetric behavior to ammonia (within 3 min). These results suggest GA/CS/CUR II nanofibers has great potential as a multifunctional packaging to protect and monitor the freshness of protein -rich animal foods, such as meat and seafood. (C) 2023 Beijing Academy of Food Sciences. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.

Automated summary

This study developed active and intelligent packaging nanofibers based on gelatin/chitosan with curcumin. The incorporation of curcumin enhanced the thermal stability, tensile strength, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial activity of the nanofibers. The nanofibers also showed high sensitivity to ammonia, indicating their potential for protecting and monitoring the freshness of protein-rich animal foods.