Electrospun pullulan/PVA nanofibers integrated with thymol-loaded porphyrin metal−organic framework for antibacterial food packaging

Pathogenic microorganisms posed perniciousness for postharvest fruits and vegetables, as well as brought potential risks for human health. In this work, pullulan/polyvinyl alcohol (PUL/PVA) nanofibers incorporated with thymol-loaded porphyrin metal-organic framework nanoparticles ( [email protected] NPs) were developed for antibacterial food packaging. PCN-224 MOFs not only act as thymol loading carriers but also highly produce singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) with bactericidal activity . PUL/PVA nanofiber was a promising sustainable substrate because of its good flexibility, biocompatibility and biodegradability . The loading capacity of PCN-224 for thymol was about 20%. The [email protected] /PUL/PVA nanofibers exhibited synergistic antibacterial activities against E. coli (~99%) and S. aureus (~98%) under light irradiation . The cell viability assays and fruit preservation study demonstrated good biosafety of the polymeric film. The results suggested that this novel nanofiber has potential application prospects for food packaging.