Preparation of pectin-based nanofibers encapsulating Lactobacillus rhamnosus 1.0320 by electrospinning

In this study, pectin-based nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning for the first time to encapsulate probiotics. Different proportions of electrospun nanofibers were prepared by blending poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with pectin (PEC). With increasing PEC proportion, the viscosity and conductivity of the solution increased, which decreased the nanofiber diameter. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis showed that PVA and PEC were combined by hydrogen bonding. Thermal analysis showed that PVA/PEC nanofibers had good thermal stability. When the PVA:PEC proportion was 9:1, the viable count of Lactobacillus rhamnosus 1.0320 encapsulated by electrospinning technology was the largest, and the survival rate was 89.26%. The survival rate of PVA/PEC nanofiber-encapsulated Lactobacillus rhamnosus 1.0320 was 84.63% after storage at 4 °C for 21 days. PVA/PEC nanofibers have potential applications in probiotic preservation.