Structural and Thermal Properties of Electrospun Whey Protein/PEO Nanofibers

Abstract

Nano-scale fibers or films obtained by adding natural active agents to natural food proteins are promising materials for packaging purposes. Whey proteins (WPs) are one of the most popular matrices in application with their cheap and sustainable availability. They have many functional properties and their antimicrobial, antiviral and anticarcinogenic properties are highlighted as well. Enzymatic hydrolysis can increase their functionality such as inducing gelation and revealing bioactive peptides. These features can make whey proteins good candidates for the fabrication of talented fiber structures through electrospinning. Electrospinning technique based on the deposition of fine fibers on a collector surface under electrical forces can be used to form protein nanofibers. The purpose of this research is to produce whey-based protein nanofibers and determine their structural and thermal features by infra-red spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. A high molecular polymer, polyethylene oxide (PEO) was used in combination with whey protein concentrate (WPC) to increase spinnability. Besides, enzymatic hydrolysis of WPC enhanced the viscosity of the protein/polymer solution and helped electrospinning ability. Both non-hydrolyzed and hydrolyzed WPC/PEO nanofibers exhibited promising morphological, structural and thermal properties for targeted use in food and biomedical applications. Further research will focus on the application of these protein nanofibers for food packaging purposes.