Pine honey-loaded electrospun poly (vinyl alcohol)/gelatin nanofibers with antioxidant properties

Abstract

In this study, bioactive fibers were produced using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), gelatin and pine honey by using electrospinning method. The influence of honey content (0-15 wt%) on the infrared spectrum, morphology, average diameter, surface wettability and antioxidant activity of the electrospun fibers was evaluated. The Fourier Transform Infrared spectrum showed the successful incorporation of honey to the fibers. Electrospun PVA/gelatin/honey nanofibers were successfully obtained with average diameters ranging from 299 +/- 105 nm to 494 +/- 192 nm. Increasing the honey content caused an increase in the fiber diameter. The values of the water contact angles of the fibers were increased upon the addition of pine honey. Among the fibers, the 10 wt% honey-loaded fiber exhibited a high antioxidant capacity, which was monitored using DPPH radical scavenging, beta-carotene-linoleic acid and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity assays. In view of these results, the PVA/gelatin/honey fibers can be potential candidates for biomedical and active food packaging applications.