Abstract
Highly antibacterial electrospun cellulose acetate (CA) nanofiber mats with encapsulated lemon myrtle essential oil (LMEO) as a natural antibacterial agent were produced. The high antibacterial activity of LMEO was confirmed by minimum inhibitory concentration and the minimum bactericidal concentration analysis. Morphological, thermal, optical, chemical and antimicrobial properties of LMEO-loaded CA electrospun nanofibers were investigated. The morphology of the fiber mat was examined by SEM to study the effect of solvent type, solution viscosity, electrospinning voltage and incorporation of LMEO into the CA electrospun nanofibers. The average diameters of both CA and LMEO-loaded CA nanofibers were in the range of 440–515 nm. The electrospun nanofibers were of a white colour and low water activity. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated no change in degradation profile of CA, while differential scanning calorimetry indicated a lower degree of CA crystallinity upon incorporation of LMEO. The LMEO-loaded CA electrospun nanofibers eliminated Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus by 100% even at the lowest loading concentration of LMEO of 2 wt%. The electrospun fiber mats, with moderate loading of LMEO, showed sustained release of LMEO over prolonged time and nanofibers retained their high antibacterial properties even after two months of storage. Therefore, these nanofibers could be promising candidates for active packaging or wound dressing applications with prolonged antimicrobial activity.
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