Antioxidant α-tocopherol/γ-cyclodextrin–inclusion complex encapsulated poly(lactic acid) electrospun nanofibrous web for food packaging

α-Tocopherol (α-TC) and α-TC/cyclodextrin (CD)–inclusion complex (IC) incorporated electrospun poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibers (NF) were developed via electrospinning (PLA/α-TC–NF and PLA/α-TC/γ-CD–IC–NF). The release of α-TC into 95% ethanol (fatty food simulant) was much greater from PLA/α-TC/γ-CD–IC–NF than from PLA/α-TC–NF because of the solubility increase in α-TC; this was confirmed by a phase-solubility diagram. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging assay shows that PLA/α-TC–NF and PLA/α-TC/γ-CD–IC–NF had 97% antioxidant activities; this value was expected to be high enough to inhibit lipid oxidation. PLA/α-TC–NF and PLA/α-TC/γ-CD–IC–NF were tested directly on beef with the thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) method, and the nanofibers displayed a lower TBARS content than the unpackaged meat sample. Thus, active packaging significantly enhanced the oxidative stability of the meat samples at 4 °C. In conclusion, PLA/α-TC/γ-CD–IC–NF was shown to be promising as an active food-packaging material for prolonging the shelf life of foods.