Electrospun polylactic acid/chitosan nanofibrous film encapsulating citrus essential oil/β-cyclodextrin metal-organic framework for fruit preservation

Citrus essential oil valorizes agro by-products. This biodegradable non-toxic food packaging replaces petroleum plastics. • β-Cyclodextrin metal framework reduces oil loss, overcoming cyclodextrin pore limits and metal framework toxicity. • Polylactic acid and chitosan blend improves film physical performance and antimicrobial properties. To break through the bottlenecks of existing active packaging in terms of antibacterial activity and sustained-release performance, this study fabricated polylactic acid/chitosan nanofibrous films loaded with citrus essential oil encapsulated in β-cyclodextrin metal-organic framework (CEO/β-CD-MOF/PLA/CS) via electrospinning. The properties of the resulting films were systematically investigated. The results indicated that after the introduction of CEO/β-CD-MOF into the nanofibrous films, the thermal stability and hydrophobicity of the film were improved. The film enabled sustained release of CEO for up to 240 h, and the inhibitory effects of the film against Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus and Botrytis cinerea were dose-dependent. Furthermore, the composite film effectively delayed the spoilage of blackberries. Thus, the CEO/β-CD-MOF/PLA/CS nanofibrous film developed in this study demonstrated significant potential for fruit preservation. Download: Download high-res image (448KB) Download: Download full-size image