Electrospun starch-based nanofiber mats for odor adsorption of oyster peptides: Recyclability and structural characterization

The off-odor of seafood, which negatively affected its flavor and quality, was removed mainly by non-recyclable liquid-phase deodorization methods at present. In this work, octenylsuccinylated starch (OSS)-pullulan (PUL) nanofiber mats were regenerated after physical adsorption and thermal desorption of off-odor compounds in oyster peptides. The mat structure was characterized and the adsorption process was investigated. The regenerated nanofiber mats maintained a favorable appearance and microscopic morphology even after 25 adsorption-desorption cycles, with a reduction in average fiber diameter and average pore area, an increase in hydrophobicity and alterations in surface groups. Their adsorption rate first decreased and then stabilized as the number of cycles increased and was as high as 81.76% after 25 cycles. Correlation analysis revealed that the adsorption efficiency of regenerated nanofiber mats was related to their microstructure, surface groups and hydrophobicity. These findings could provide a theoretical basis for odor removal by electrospun nanofiber mats and their recycling.