Electrospining Machine: Prof. Jinlong Tian's Team at Shenyang Agricultural University: Research Progress of electrospinning in Food Field

An overview of the electrospinning  technology is given with a focus on its mechanism of action and applications in food packaging, delivery of bioactive compounds, and food analysis, and some limitations and challenges of electrospinning technology are discussed and directions for future research are suggested.

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Overview and Classification of electrospinning Technology:

Electrospinning is a method of using electrospinning technology to prepare nanofibers that have large surface area-to-volume ratios, low densities, excellent mechanical properties and high porosity. These include: uniaxial electrospinning, coaxial electrospinning, triaxial electrospinning, emulsion electrospinning, and needleless electrospinning.

Application of electrospinning in Food Packaging:

Antimicrobial Packaging:

Electrospun Nanofbers containing antimicrobial agents prepared by electrospinning technology have strong antimicrobial properties. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) produced by the reaction of glucose oxidase with D-glucose interacts with sulfhydryl groups and double bonds in proteins and lipids to inhibit bacterial growth.

Antioxidant Packaging:

Antioxidants help protect foods from oxidative deterioration. Phenolic compounds, secondary metabolites found in plants, act as antioxidants and protect foods from oxidative spoilage.

Smart Packaging:

Provides real-time information to inform consumers of changes in food quality and freshness. Packaging determines the freshness of food by reacting gases released from the receptor recognition layer with various enzymes and dyes to produce different color changes.

Delivery of functional foods:

electrospinning improves the stability and potency of compounds and facilitates their absorption and utilization in the human body. Improving the bioavailability of active compounds using electrospinning technology lies in optimizing the solubility, viscosity, molecular weight, conductivity and surface tension of the polymer solution.

Application of electrospinning in Food Analysis: 

Nanofibrous membranes prepared by electrospinning technology are used in sensor systems for precise analysis using biochemical reaction signals (colorimetric, fluorescent and electrochemical methods) to achieve rapid and accurate detection of hazardous substances in food and visualization of the results.

Conclusion and Future Prospects

In food packaging, improvement of antimicrobial properties and enhancement of antioxidant capacity promote the development of smart packaging technologies. In the field of active food compound delivery, electrospinning technology is used to load active compounds onto different polymers, enhance the stability and effectiveness of compounds in food systems, and promote their absorption and utilization in the human body. In the field of food analysis, biosensors are prepared for precise analysis of biochemical signals.

However, there are many disadvantages of electrospinning technology.

(1) The productivity of electrospinning technology is low and the spinning speed is slow.

(2) When electrospinning, the fiber deposition process is difficult to control, and the collected fibers are generally self-controlled and highly arbitrary.

(3) The electrospinning device currently in use is not yet suitable for industrial production and requires further improvement and optimization.

(4) Not all polymer materials are suitable for electrospinning.

Link to paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2024.110474