Characterization and antibacterial activity evaluation of curcumin loaded konjac glucomannan and zein nanofibril films

The exploration of methods to produce biodegradable and bioactive nanofibril films is of great scientific and technological interests. We reported a strategy to constructing of nanofibril films by using konjac glucomannan (KGM) and zein via electrospinning technology. The characterization of the nanofibril films was conducted via Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and water contact angle measurements. The interactions of hydrogen bonds between KGM and zein were confirmed, and the addition of zein caused an increase of thermal properties and hydrophobicity. The morphology and size of nanofibers significantly depended on zein contents. We further loaded curcumin (Cur), a natural polyphenolic compound, within the KGM/Zein/Cur nanofibril films to investigate the antibacterial and antioxidating properties for the novel nanofibril films. In comparison with a pure KGM and zein film, KGM/Zein/Cur nanofibril films indicated an excellent antibacterial activity against food-borne pathogens. Our work suggested that the KGM/Zein/Cur nanofibril films had a potential application in food packaging, which opens a facile pathway to the modification of KGM-based biopolymer to form nanofilms.