The Effects Of Citric Acid Crosslinking On Fabrication And Characterization Of Gelatin/Curcumin Based Electrospun Antioxidant Nanofibers

Date

2023-9-01

Author

Hasan, Reem

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Electrospinning method is in high demand in these days due to its ability to produce nanofibers which have different optical, electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties than macro scale materials. In this study, nanofibers were produced through electrospinning using gelatin as the base polymer and curcumin as the functional agent. The effects of crosslinking with citric acid (0.5% and 1.0% w/v) were studied along with the effect of gelatin concentration on the characteristics of electrospun nanofibers. Neat gelatin film was used as control. Different characterization tests were performed on the solutions, including solution conductivity, color analysis and rheological properties, while the obtained nanofibers were characterized by morphological analysis (SEM), Antioxidant capacity (AA), Total Phenolic Content (TPC), Encapsulation Efficiency (EE), thermal properties (TGA, XRD, DSC), Water Vapor Permeability (WVP), Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis (FTIR) and Antimicrobial Activity. The results showed that some degree of crosslinking was seen in the fibers, that was indicated by the changes in AA, and crystallinity results. The highest antioxidant capacity seen was for gelatin and curcumin films containing no citric acid (32%). The highest melting temperature (78°C) and WVP (2.365 x 10-10 gm-1s-1Pa-1) were seen for gelatin and curcumin films crosslinked with 0.5% citric acid, while the lowest crystallinity (1.56%) was seen for gelatin with curcumin films crosslinked with 1% citric acid. This study showed that even though citric acid might not prove to be a stable crosslinking agent for the protein (gelatin), it contributed to the antioxidant nature of the films, along with curcumin. These films are promising candidates to be applied on packaging for cut fruits, to reduce their water loss and oxidation and hence to extend their shelf lives.

Subject Keywords

Electrospinning, Crosslinking, Curcumin, Phenolics, Nanofibers

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/105312

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Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis