Fast and sustainable production of smart nanofiber mats by solution blow spinning for food quality monitoring: Potential of polycaprolactone and agri-food residue-derived anthocyanins

Author(s)

de Oliveira, Josemar Goncalves ; Silva, Christian de Oliveira ; do Canto, Renan Assalim ; Egea, Mariana Buranelo ; Tonon, Renata Valeriano ; Paschoalin, Rafaella Takehara ; de Azeredo, Henriette Monteiro Cordeiro ; Mattoso, Luiz Henrique Capparelli

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Food Chemistry; v. 457, p. 11-pg., 2024-06-21.

Abstract

The shelf life of perishable foods is estimated through expensive and imprecise analyses that do not account for improper storage. Smart packaging, obtained by agile manufacturing of nanofibers functionalized with natural pigments from agri-food residues, presents promising potential for real-time food quality monitoring. This study employed the solution blow spinning (SBS) technique for the rapid production of smart nanofiber mats based on polycaprolactone (PCL), incorporating extracts of agricultural residues rich in anthocyanins from eggplant (EE) or purple cabbage (CE) for monitoring food quality. The addition of EE or CE to the PCL matrix increased the viscosity of the solution and the diameter of the nanofibers from 156 nm to 261 - 370 nm. The addition of extracts also improved the mechanical and water-related properties of the nanofibers, although it reduced the thermal stability. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the incorporation of anthocyanins into PCL nanofibers. Nanofiber mats incorporated with EE or CE exhibited visible color changes ( Delta E >= 3) in response to buffer solutions (pH between 3 and 10), and ammonia vapor. Smart nanofibers have demonstrated the ability to monitor fish fillet spoilage through visible color changes ( Delta E >= 3) during storage. Consequently, smart nanofibers produced by the SBS technique, using PCL and anthocyanins from agroindustrial waste, reveal potential as smart packaging materials for food. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 21/13260-7 - Smart nanofibers functionalized with natural pigments: a new approach to food quality monitoring
• Grantee: Josemar Gonçalves de Oliveira Filho
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 18/22214-6 - Towards a convergence of technologies: from sensing and biosensing to information visualization and machine learning for data analysis in clinical diagnosis
• Grantee: Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants