Electrospun chitosan/polycaprolactone nanofibers containing chlorogenic acid-loaded halloysite nanotube for active food packaging

Abstract The aim of this study was to develop chitosan (CS)/polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun nanofibers with chlorogenic acid (CGA) loaded halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) as a carrier for CGA to provide a long-term sustained release. Results showed that the addition of CGA@HNTs at the concentrations of 2 - 6 wt% resulted in continuous nanofibers with an average diameter range of 159 - 166 nm, with improved thermal stability caused by the formation of hydrogen bonds. The incorporation of CGA@HNTs induced a hydrophilic surface and enhanced water vapor barrier property, but impaired the mechanical properties. However, the 2%, 4%, and 6% CGA@HNTs incorporated fibrous mats exhibited an initial release of 18.3%, 26.2%, 33.1% within 15 h, and 34.7%, 41.4%, 51.3% release after 240 h, respectively, indicating a long-term sustained release with enhanced antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. These results suggested the promising applications of the prepared CGA@HNTs/PCL/CS electrospun fibrous mats for active food packaging.