PLA/gelatin/ethyl cellulose nanofiber: performance optimization and strawberry preservation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Food Science

Background:

• Growing demand for eco-friendly food packaging.
• Limitations of current single-component biodegradable membranes (poor mechanical properties, unstable release, weak bioactivity).
• Need for advanced functional materials in sustainable packaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a ternary electrospun fiber membrane with enhanced functionality and stability.
• To improve mechanical properties, antioxidant, and antibacterial activity of biodegradable packaging.
• To assess the material's performance in food preservation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of polylactic acid (PLA)/gelatin/ethyl cellulose ternary electrospun fiber membrane (PEG).
• Encapsulation of citric acid (CA) and vitamin E/hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (VE/HP-β-CD) complexes.
• Characterization using SEM, FTIR, XRD, thermal analysis, mechanical testing, and functional assays.
• Application in strawberry preservation.

Main Results:

• Uniform, defect-free fibers with successful VE encapsulation confirmed by FTIR and XRD.
• Enhanced thermal stability (decomposition temperature increased).
• Improved mechanical properties: increased elastic modulus (18.3 to 60.7 MPa) and elongation at break (53.8% to 103.7%).
• Sustained VE release over 200h, significant DPPH scavenging (73.9%), and enhanced antibacterial activity.
• High cell viability (>90%) in MTT and live/dead assays.
• Extended strawberry shelf life by 8 days.

Conclusions:

• Combined encapsulation of CA and VE/HP-β-CD optimizes material structure and properties.
• The developed PEG membrane offers enhanced functionality and stability for eco-friendly packaging.
• This study provides a sustainable direction for advanced functional food packaging materials.