Basil seed mucilage as a new source for electrospinning: Production and physicochemical characterization

In this study nanofibers were prepared via the electrospinning technique by basil seed mucilage (BSM) as a new source of hydrocolloid. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was used as an aiding agent. Viscosity and electrical conductivity of BSM/PVA solutions of different volume ratios (100:0, 80:20, 60:40,40:60, 20:80 and 0:100) were in the range of 790-1300 cP and 745-2140 mu S/cm, respectively. Morphology of nanofibers were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that showed an average diameter range of 179-390 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) studies were used to analysis chemical composition, crystalline structure and thermal characteristics of nanofibers. The characteristic picks of basis seed mucilage were found in BSM/PVA nanofibers. The crystalline index of BSM, PVA and BSM/PVA nanofibers were 54, 35 and 43%, respectively. The BSM based nanofibers can be used for different applications such as bioactive encapsulation and packaging film production. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.