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

alpha-Tocopherol (alpha-TC) and alpha-TC/cyclodextrin (CD)-inclusion complex (IC) incorporated electrospun poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibers (NF) were developed via electrospinning (PLA/alpha-TC-NF and PLA/alpha-TC/gamma-CD-IC-NF). The release of alpha-TC into 95% ethanol (fatty food simulant) was much greater from PLA/alpha-TC/gamma-CD-IC-NF than from PLA/alpha-TC-NF because of the solubility increase in alpha-TC; this was confirmed by a phase-solubility diagram. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging assay shows that PLA/alpha-TC-NF and PLA/alpha-TC/gamma-CD-IC-NF had 97% antioxidant activities; this value was expected to be high enough to inhibit lipid oxidation. PLA/alpha-TC-NF and PLA/alpha-TC/gamma-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 degrees C. In conclusion, PLA/alpha-TC/gamma-CD-IC-NF was shown to be promising as an active food-packaging material for prolonging the shelf life of foods. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.