Polysaccharides as wall material for the encapsulation of essential oils by electrospun technique

• Published in: Carbohydrate polymers Vol. 265; p. 118068
• Main Authors: Dierings de Souza, Estefania Júlia, Kringel, Dianini Hüttner, Guerra Dias, Alvaro Renato, da Rosa Zavareze, Elessandra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2021
• Subjects: Bioactive compounds; Bioactive packing; Biopolymers; Electrospinning; Electrospraying; Food application; Electrospinning; Food application; Electrospraying; Bioactive compounds; Biopolymers; Bioactive packing
• ISSN: 0144-8617; 1879-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118068

[Display omitted] •Degree of chain entanglements of the polysaccharides influences electrospun process.•Electrospun polysaccharide materials are dependent of the shear thinning properties.•Most suitable polysaccharides to form fibers: dextran and pullulan.•Presence of anionic groups in polysaccharides structure difficult fiber formation.•Hydrophilic polysaccharides need auxiliary polymers to allow essential oils encapsulation. Electrospinning is a versatile, inexpensive and reliable technique for the synthesis of nanometric fibers or particles from polymeric solutions, under a high voltage electric field. The use of natural polysaccharides such as starch, chitosan, pectin, alginate, pullulan, cellulose and dextran as polymeric materials allows the formation of biodegradable fibers and capsules. Bioactive compounds extracted from natural sources, such as essential oils, have been widely studied due to their antioxidant, antimicrobial and antifungal properties. The combination of natural polymers and the electrospinning technique allows the production of structures capable of incorporating these bioactive compounds, which are highly sensitive to degradation reactions. This review describes several approaches to the development of nanofibers and nanocapsules from polysaccharides and the possibility of incorporating hydrophobic compounds, such as essential oils. The review also discusses the use of electrosprayed products incorporated with essential oils for direct application in food or for use as active food packaging.