Oregano essential oil/β-cyclodextrin inclusion compound polylactic acid/polycaprolactone electrospun nanofibers for active food packaging

• Oregano essential oil-loaded β-CDs were incorporated into the PLA/PCL nanofibers. • The fibers had a long-term sustained release of oregano essential oil. • The fibers exhibited good biocompatibility and enhanced antibacterial property. • The fibers delayed postharvest decay, deterioration and nutrition loss of blackberry. In this study, polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun nanofibers with added oregano essential oil (OEO)–loaded β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) were developed as an active food packaging material. After the incorporation of OEO@β-CD, the obtained electrospun fibers were continuous nanofibers with an average diameter range of 1321–1802 nm, and the OEO@β-CD was encapsulated in the nanofibers. The OEO@β-CD/PLA/PCL nanofibers exhibited enhanced thermal stability and anti-deformation capacity, but impaired tensile strength. Furthermore, the incorporation of OEO@β-CD induced an impaired hydrophobic surface caused by the formation of hydrogen bonds but did not change water vapor barrier property. In addition, OEO@β-CD/PLA/PCL nanofibers showed antibacterial and antifungal capacity. The co-culture of nanofibers with zebrafish demonstrated biosafety of fibrous membranes. During the application experiment, OEO@β-CD/PLA/PCL nanofibers delayed postharvest decay, deterioration, and storage quality loss in blackberry, demonstrating the significant potential for use of these fibers as an active food packaging material.