Production of clove extract loaded pullulan and whey protein nanofibers as antioxidant and antibacterial agent

In this study, clove extract loaded nanofibers consisting of pullulan and whey protein were produced by electrospinning method in order to improve antibacterial and antioxidant activity. Diameters of the produced nanofibers varied between 215.7 and 536.8 nm. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) results showed that there was a close interaction between the obtained nanofibers and clove extract. Although the antioxidant activity of the nanofibers varied between 1535 and 4174 mu mol TE/g dm, the antioxidant activity of the clove extract loaded nanofibers tended to increase when compared to their polymer solutions. The total phenolic content of the nanofiber samples varied between 4.93 and 45.05 mg GAE/g dm. It has been determined that clove extract loaded nanofibers showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC29113) and Micrococcus luteus (NCIMB). As a result, it was seen that the addition of clove extract improved the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the fibers and these fibers could be a potential coating and packaging material that could have a potential use in food preservation.