Antimicrobial nanofibers in food active packaging

Among encapsulation techniques of antimicrobial substances, electrospinning outstands for enabling the synthesis of polymeric nanofibers that act as micro- or nanocapsules, and release systems. A myriad of polymers has been successfully electrospun to obtain ultrathin fibers, including synthetic polymers, biomacromolecules, and their composites. In the context of food packaging, these materials have advantages such as mechanical resistance, large surface areas/porosities, and responsiveness to external stimuli. Ultra-thin fibers have been used to incorporate antimicrobial substances. The resulting functionalized nanofibers have been proved as promising devices in a shelf-life extension of various food models. The target microorganisms against which these materials have been tested comprise S. aureus, E. coli, Salmonella spp., Pseudomonas sp., Rhizoctonia. In this review, a brief literature examination of the experimental evidence of electrospun nanofibers containing antimicrobials as food shelf life extenders is presented.