pH Effect on the Structure, Rheology, and Electrospinning of Maize Zein

Encapsulation of black soldier fly larvae oil in zein ultrafine fibers via electrospinning: Characterization and antioxidant properties

Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) have several advantages, such as rapid growth and sustainable production. The electrospinning encapsulation shows promise for encapsulating oils, as it does not use high temperatures, preventing degradation. This study analyzed the incorporation of oil (15, 30, and 45 % w/w) from BSFL into fibers by electrospinning using zein (20 and 25 % w/v). The results demonstrated that BSFL has a predominance of lauric acid. The morphology of fibers with 25 % zein showed a ribbon shape, whereas beads were formed in fibers with 20 % zein. The infrared showed bands that indicated successful encapsulation. Thermal properties show an interaction between the oil and zein, which decreases the mass loss of generated fibers. The contact angle showed that the addition of oil influenced the increase in the hydrophobicity of the fibers. Fibers showed high encapsulation efficiency (>91 %), and antioxidants was higher in fibers with 45 % oil.

Surface modification of electrospun polycaprolactone and zein using cold atmospheric plasma for tissue engineering applications

Cell adhesion and proliferation of zein-based scaffolds in tissue engineering are restricted due to hydrophobicity and low surface energy, and they are not appropriate for cell culture. Polycaprolactone (PCL) and zein are two distinct polymers in terms of origin and function; they are synthetic and natural polymers, respectively. In addition, PCL and zein have hydrophobic and amphiphilic structures. In this study we applied cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) for 4 min and 8 min to compare the effect of CAP on morphology, biodegradation, wettability, and chemical and biological features of zein and PCL-based nanofibrous structures. Our results presented that the water contact angle (WCA) of both types of nanofibers decreased after 4 and 8 min of treatment; PCL and zein contact angles after 8 min of treatment were 31.9 ± 7° and 30.3 ± 5° respectively. Chemical characterization confirmed that nanofibrous scaffolds were changed while functional groups were formed on scaffolds. Although biodegradation and cell attachment of scaffolds improved after treatment, most biodegradation rates belong to zein-P 8m; meanwhile, different CAP treatments have no negative effect on cell viability. With suitable cell viability, the potentials of zein and PCL in tissue engineering scaffolds could be improved. Based on SEM images, unlike zein, the synthetic PCL nanofibers aggregated and melted after CAP treatment, and PCL nanofiber morphology altered after 8 min treatment. At the same time, the results of other characterizations for zein and PCL fibers were approximately similar.

Environmentally friendly zein/ethylcellulose nanofiber air filtration materials with tunable hydrophobicity and high filtration efficiency

Due to people's environmental awareness and the continuous improvement of the living environment requirements, the pollution problem of fine particles has attracted widespread attention and great importance. Therefore, the development of new green and environmentally friendly air filtration materials with high efficiency and low resistance is ongoing. In this work, eco-friendly zein/ethylcellulose blende nanofiber membranes with different fiber morphologies, diameter sizes, and hydrophobicity are prepared by electrospinning technology, and their performance in the field of air filtration and purification is investigated, to make them highly efficient for the adsorption of small pollutants of various polarities. The experiments showed that the hydrophobicity of the nanofiber membrane was adjusted by changing the ratio of zein and ethylcellulose, and the addition of ethylcellulose improved the thermal stability and use temperature of the composite nanofiber membrane. The filtration efficiency of the nanofiber membrane can reach more than 85 % for small particle pollutants of different polarities, and both sides of the tested membrane have high filtration capacity, which can still be maintained after three times of reused. This gives it great potential and broad application prospects in the field of air filtration.

Improvement of Stress Resistance of Microencapsulated Lactobacillus plantarum by Emulsion Electrospinning

Probiotics have become increasingly recognized for their potential health-promoting properties; however, the viability of probiotics can be affected by storage and transportation processes as well as the stressful environment of the human digestive tract, preventing them from achieving effective concentration (107 CFU/mL). In this regard, the embedding technology of probiotics provides an effective protection method. Dextran-based water in water (W/W) emulsion loaded with Lactobacillus plantarum was used as spinning solution to prepare Lactobacillus plantarum-loaded electrospun fibers. The structure of the W/W emulsion and the electrospun fibers was charactered. Lactobacillus plantarum were uniformly embedded in the internal phase of the W/W emulsion and the loading efficiency was 9.70 ± 0.40 log CFU/g. After 240 min digestion in the gastrointestinal tract, and temperature treatment in 65 °C and 72 °C, the loaded probiotics maintained high activity. Even after 5 days of storage in room temperature and 4 °C, the loaded probiotic activity levels remained high, with counts >8 log CFU/g. These results suggest that probiotics encapsulated by emulsion electrospinning could be potentially delivered in a novel food delivery system used in the future food industry.

Zein-Based Nanoparticles as Active Platforms for Sustainable Applications: Recent Advances and Perspectives

Nanomaterials, due to their unique structural and functional features, are widely investigated for potential applications in a wide range of industrial sectors. In this context, protein-based nanoparticles, given proteins' abundance, non-toxicity, and stability, offer a promising and sustainable methodology for encapsulation and protection, and can be used in engineered nanocarriers that are capable of releasing active compounds on demand. Zein is a plant-based protein extracted from corn, and it is biocompatible, biodegradable, and amphiphilic. Several approaches and technologies are currently involved in zein-based nanoparticle preparation, such as antisolvent precipitation, spray drying, supercritical processes, coacervation, and emulsion procedures. Thanks to their peculiar characteristics, zein-based nanoparticles are widely used as nanocarriers of active compounds in targeted application fields such as drug delivery, bioimaging, or soft tissue engineering, as reported by others. The main goal of this review is to investigate the use of zein-based nanocarriers for different advanced applications including food/food packaging, cosmetics, and agriculture, which are attracting researchers' efforts, and to exploit the future potential development of zein NPs in the field of cultural heritage, which is still relatively unexplored. Moreover, the presented overview focuses on several preparation methods (i.e., antisolvent processes, spry drying), correlating the different analyzed methodologies to NPs' structural and functional properties and their capability to act as carriers of bioactive compounds, both to preserve their activity and to tune their release in specific working conditions.

Evaluation of the effects of zein incorporation on physical, mechanical, and biological properties of polyhydroxybutyrate electrospun scaffold for bone tissue engineering applications

Materials and fabrication methods significantly influence the scaffold's final features in tissue engineering. This study aimed to blend zein with polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) at 5, 10, and 15 wt%, fabricate scaffolds using electrospinning, and then characterize them. SEM and mechanical analyses identified the scaffold with 10 wt% zein (PHB-10Z) as the optimal sample. Incorporating 10 wt% zein reduced fiber diameter from 894 ± 122 to 531 ± 42 nm while increasing ultimate tensile strength and elongation at break by approximately 53 % and 70 %, respectively. FTIR proved zein's presence in the scaffolds and possible hydrogen bonding with PHB. TGA confirmed the miscibility of polymers. DSC and XRD analyses indicated lower crystallinity for the PHB-10Z than for PHB. AFM evaluation indicated a rougher surface for the PHB-10Z in comparison to PHB. The PHB-10Z demonstrated a more hydrophobic surface and less weight loss after 100 days of degradation in PBS than PHB. The free radical scavenging assay exhibited antioxidant activity for the zein-containing scaffold. Eventually, enhanced cell attachment, viability, and differentiation in the PHB-10Z scaffold drawn from SEM, MTT, ALP activity, and Alizarin red staining of MG-63 cells confirmed that PHB-zein electrospun scaffold is a potent candidate for bone tissue engineering applications.