Thyme Oleoresin‐Loaded Electrospun Porous Polylactic Acid Membranes for Enhanced Meat Preservation

ABSTRACT Highly porous polylactic acid (PLA) electrospun fibrous membranes loaded with thyme oleoresin (TOR) (0–20 wt%) were fabricated via electrospinning using a non‐solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) mechanism for active food packaging. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed uniform, bead‐free fibers with high surface porosity across all samples. Among different membranes, the PLA/TOR 15% membrane showed comparatively superior mechanical strength, thermal stability, surface hydrophobicity, and water vapor barrier properties. Antioxidant evaluation using the DPPH assay confirmed strong activity, with 20% TOR‐loaded membranes showing the highest scavenging (93% ± 2.7%). Antibacterial analysis revealed selective activity; no inhibition against Escherichia coli , while increasing TOR content enhanced inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus . The PLA/TOR 15% membrane was further evaluated for meat preservation over 15 days, assessing quality parameters such as color, pH, peroxide value (PV), free fatty acid (FFA) content, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). These results demonstrated that the PLA/TOR membrane effectively delayed lipid peroxidation, thereby extending the shelf life of meat, highlighting its potential for active food packaging applications.