Fundamentals of Electrospinning, a Novel Delivery Vehicle for Encapsulation of Bioactive Compounds by Hydrocolloids

Biomolecules or biogenic substances are produced by living organisms and include proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, nucleic acids, amino acids and metabolites produced by the body. Many of these substances, such as vitamins and certain amino acids are essential to maintain life. Nutraceuticals and therapeutic molecules include those compounds that are ingested or injected to the body for medicinal purposes. These molecules may be utilised as or in the synthesis of drugs, disinfectants, anesthetics, or vitamins and supplements. Encapsulation of bioactive compounds and probiotic bacteria amidst prebiotic substances using the natural gums to protect or even enhance their survival whilst passing upper GI tract seems an enchanting topic for academia and food industries. Different methods were suggested, examined and applied to encapsulate dry probiotics (live microorganism) and bioactive compounds such as spray drying which mostly reduce the viability of bacteria and diminish the structure of molecules considerably. Electrospinning is introduces as a novel delivery vehicle for supplementary compounds in food science technology among a polymer substance than can produce capsules in micro and sub-micron range. One of these areas is the production of nanofibres wherein, fibre diameters are less than 1000 nm. Nanofibre materials produced by electrospinning in particular have attracted attention because of their high specific surface area and ability to modify the bulk properties of a fabric when introduced as part of a multilayer fibrous assembly. Such fibrous materials have been studied as potential vehicles for drug delivery, as biomolecule sensors and as ultra-filtration media, amongst other uses. Consequently, there is significant scope to develop electrospun fibrous assemblies that could potentially advance the design and performance of advanced products and delivery systems for supplementary compounds in food nanotechnology

کلیدواژه ها:

Electrospinning ، Encapsulation ، Bioactive Compounds ، Hydrocolloids