Fabrication and characterization of cuminaldehyde-loaded electrospun gliadin fiber mats

This work's objective was to develop a novel type of gliadin electrospun fiber with antibacterial properties by incorporating cuminaldehyde in the fibrous structure. Gliadin fibers containing various concentrations of cuminaldehyde were fabricated via an electrospinning process. The morphology and size of the fibers were affected by the concentration of incorporated cuminaldehyde. An optimum value was selected as the highest concentration of cuminaldehyde (20%, w/w). 1H NMR spectroscopy indicated the presence of incorporated cuminaldehyde in gliadin fibers. In addition, the FTIR spectroscopy suggested the occurrence of hydrogen interactions between C--O bonds of cuminaldehyde and N-H bonds of gliadin at 1651 and 3293 cm-1. Confocal Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction revealed a homogenous distribution of cuminaldehyde in the amorphous cuminaldehyde-loaded gliadin fibers with almost no crystalline peaks of cuminaldehyde. Moreover, the gliadin fibers enhanced the thermostability of cuminaldehyde. The hydrophobic cuminaldehyde-loaded gliadin fiber showed a non-Fickian diffusion release, antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (PTTC 1112) Escherichia coli (PTCC 1399), and is non-toxic to the ASCs. These results confirm the capacity of cuminaldehydeloaded gliadin fibers for being used in food applications.