Nanoencapsulation of citrus essential oils in systematic modified chitosan-based nanofibers

Abstract

In this study, chitosan (CH)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hybrid nanofibers incorporating three distinct essential oils lemon, lime, and grapefruit were successfully obtained via the innovative electrospinning technique. Characteristics of the electrospinning polymeric mixture loaded with essential oils using variable ratios of CH/PVA were evaluated. The nanoencapsulation process of citrus essential oils was achieved with 47.67%–88.16% encapsulation efficiency. Notably, the thermal stability of the encapsulated essential oils experienced a significant enhancement after encapsulation. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed valuable insights, revealing that an increased amount of incorporated essential oil within the polymeric mixture solutions led to a reduction in the average fiber diameters. The resulting nanofibers demonstrated notable attributes such as antioxidant, tyrosinase inhibitory, and antibacterial activities. The present research demonstrates the ability of CH/PVA hybrid nanofibers obtained through an electrospinning process to preserve citrus essential oils properties quality and reveals a high potential application of nonencapsulated citrus essential oils in biomaterials, food packaging, and advanced cosmetic application.