Encapsulation of active agents in electrospun nanofibers/nanowebs

Abstract

In this study, we produce functional nanofibers/nanowebs containing active agents such as essential oils, antibacterials, antioxidants, flavors/fragrances via electrospinning technique. The encapsulation of these active agents into electrospun nanofibers/nanowebs was quite possible, however, their stability and/or shelf-life was limited due to their volatile nature. Nevertheless, by forming cyclodextrin inclusion complexes (CD-IC) with these active agents and incorporating CD-IC into electrospun nanofibers/nanowebs, we achieved high temperature stability, slow release and prolonged shelf-life for these active agents. These functional electrospun nanofibers/nanowebs containing active agents can be quite applicable in active food packaging, textiles, biotechnology, etc.