Electrospun chitosan/polycaprolactone nanofibers containing chlorogenic acid-loaded halloysite nanotube for active food packaging

The aim of this study was to develop chitosan (CS)/polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun nanofibers with chlorogenic acid (CGA) loaded halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) as a carrier for CGA to provide a long-term sustained release. Results showed that the addition of CGA@HNTs at the concentrations of 2-6 wt% resulted in continuous nanofibers with an average diameter range of 159-166 nm, with improved thermal stability caused by the formation of hydrogen bonds. The incorporation of CGA@HNTs induced a hydrophilic surface and enhanced water vapor barrier property, but impaired the mechanical properties. However, the 2%, 4%, and 6% CGA@HNTs incorporated fibrous mats exhibited an initial release of 18.3 %, 26.2 %, 33.1 % within 15 h, and 34.7 %, 41.4 %, 51.3 % release after 240 h, respectively, indicating a long-term sustained release with enhanced anti-oxidant and antimicrobial activities. These results suggested the promising applications of the prepared CGA@HNTs/PCL/CS electrospun fibrous mats for active food packaging.