Preparation of a hordein-quercetin-chitosan antioxidant electrospun nanofibre film for food packaging and improvement of the film hydrophobic properties by heat treatment

Bio-based functional packaging materials are attracting increasing attention, but poor mechanical properties often hinder their application. This study aims to develop a novel degradable antioxidant nanomaterial with hordein, quercetin and chitosan via electrospinning. Heat treatment was applied to increase the water resistance of the blended nanofibre film. Our results showed that heat treatment significantly improved the water resistance of the blended nanofibre film without affecting its antioxidant activity. Further physiochemical analysis indicated that heat treatment might improve the water resistance of the nanomaterial by decreasing the crystallinity, reducing surface absorbed hydroxyl groups and increasing the structural stability of the blended nanofibres. Together, our results suggested that heat treatment could be an effective method to improve the water resistance of protein-based nanofibres, and the heat-treated hordein-quercetin-chitosan electrospun nanofibre film was a novel biodegradable material with excellent antioxidant activity and water resistance for food packaging.