ELECTROSPUN PROTEIN NANOFIBERS AND THEIR FOOD APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Electrospun nanofibers with their large surface area, high porosity, small pore sizes, and ability of the high loading of active agents possess many structural and functional advantages for food applications. Proteins play significant roles in physicochemical and structural properties in foods. There has been a great interest in using proteins for the fabrication of nanofibers through electrospinning technique. Due to their molecular weight, most of the proteins are non-spinnable alone however; their spinnability can be enhanced by the incorporation of food-grade biocompatible polymers. In this review, the basics of the electrospinning technique were introduced first, followed by detailed information about electrospun nanofibers formed using plant and animal proteins. Common polymers blended with proteins to enhance their spinnability were also discussed. It the last part, the use of electrospun nanofibers in various food applications such as encapsulation of bioactive components, enzyme immobilization, and food packaging was emphasized.

Keywords

• Electrospinning
• Proteins
• Nanofibers
• food applications

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