ABSTRACT:We have proposed a new strategy for preparing free-standing nanofibrous webs from an inclusion complex (IC) of a well-known flavor/fragrance compound (limonene) with three modified cyclodextrins (HPβCD, MβCD, and HPγCD) via electrospinning (CD/limonene-IC-NFs) without using a polymeric matrix. The experimental and computational modeling studies proved that the stoichiometry of the complexes was 1:1 for CD/limonene systems. MβCD/limonene-IC-NF released much more limonene at 37, 50, and 75°C than HPβCD/limonene-IC-NF and HPγCD/limonene-IC-NF because of the greater amount of preserved limonene. Moreover, MβCD/limonene-IC-NF has released only 25% (w/w) of its limonene, whereas HPβCD/limonene-IC-NF and HPγCD/limonene-IC-NF released 51 and 88% (w/w) of their limonene in 100 days, respectively. CD/limonene-IC-NFs exhibited high antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. The water solubility of limonene increased significantly and CD/limonene-IC-NFs were dissolved in water in a few seconds. In brief, CD/limonene-IC-NFs with fastdissolving character enhanced the thermal stability and prolonged the shelf life along with antibacterial properties could be quite applicable in food and oral care applications.

Cyclodextrins (CD) are cyclic oligosaccharides produced from the enzymatic degradation of starch as a white powder form; on the other hand, they can be transformed into ultrathin electrospun fiber form by electrospinning technique. The electrospun cyclodextrin fibers (CD-F) can be quite attractive materials to encapsulate bacteria for bioremediation purposes. For instance, CD-F not only serve as a carrier matrix but also it serves as a feeding source for the encapsulated bacteria. In the present study, we demonstrate a facile approach by encapsulation of bacteria into CD-F matrix for wastewater treatment application. The natural and non-toxic properties of CD-F render a better bacterial viability for fibrous biocomposite. The encapsulated bacteria in CD-F exhibit cell viability for more than 7days at 4°C storage condition. Furthermore, we have tested the bioremediation capability of bacteria/CD-F biocomposite for the treatment of heavy metals (Nickel(II) and Chromium(VI)) and textile dye (Reactive Black 5, RB5). The bacteria/CD-F biocomposite has shown removal efficiency of Ni(II), Cr(VI) and RB5 as 70±0.2%, 58±1.4% and 82±0.8, respectively. As anticipated, the pollutants removal capabilities of the bacteria/CD-F was higher compare to free bacteria since bacteria can use CD as an extra carbon source which promotes their growth rate. This study demonstrates that CD-F are suitable platforms for the encapsulation of bacterial cells to develop novel biocomposites that have bioremediation capabilities for wastewater treatment.

a-Tocopherol (a-TC) and a-TC/cyclodextrin (CD)-inclusion complex (IC) incorporated electrospun poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibers (NF) were developed via electrospinning (PLA/a-TC-NF and PLA/a-TC/g-CD-IC-NF). The release of a-TC into 95% ethanol (fatty food simulant) was much greater from PLA/a-TC/g-CD-IC-NF than from PLA/a-TC-NF because of the solubility increase in a-TC; this was confirmed by a phase-solubility diagram. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging assay shows that PLA/a-TC-NF and PLA/a-TC/g-CD-IC-NF had 97% antioxidant activities; this value was expected to be high enough to inhibit lipid oxidation. PLA/a-TC-NF and PLA/a-TC/g-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 8C. In conclusion, PLA/a-TC/g-CD-IC-NF was shown to be promising as an active food-packaging material for prolonging the shelf life of foods.