Electrospun polyacrylonitrile/regenerated cellulose/citral nanofibers as active food packagings

Abstract The production of food packaging membranes with antibacterial activity is of great significance because it can inactivate bacteria in food and protect the human body from food-borne diseases. Herein, a novel polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/cellulose acetate (CA) composite nanofibers membrane with citral as an antibacterial agent was fabricated by utilizing electrospinning technology. Subsequently, the PAN/regenerated cellulose (RC)/citral composite nanofibers membrane was obtained through an alkaline hydrolysis process and citral grafting modification strategy. At the same time, the preservation efficacy of this membrane in refrigerated chicken breast was investigated. Results indicate that the PAN/RC/citral composite nanofibers membrane, modified by grafting citral, exhibits uniform fiber diameter, favorable morphology, and excellent mechanical properties. Moreover, citral crosslinks with RC components in fiber membranes significantly reduce the total bacterial count and total volatile basic nitrogen value in chicken breast during the packaging and storage process, thereby extending the shelf life of refrigerated chicken breast. This research provides a new approach to the production of antibacterial food packaging films and demonstrates their broad potential application value in the field of food packaging.