Release kinetics, color stability and antioxidant activity of red cabbage anthocyanins encapsulated in zein electrospun nanoribbons

This study aimed to use the electrospinning technique to encapsulate red cabbage anthocyanins (RCAs) in zein nanoribbons and characterize its release kinetics, antioxidant activity, and color stability in different media. RCAs were loaded in electrospun nanoribbons with five concentrations (2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, and 4.5 wt%). The scanning electron microscope (SEM) image revealed the successful production of anthocyanins-loaded zein electrospun nanoribbons with porosity in the range of 58.30 to 65.6%. The release kinetics of RCAs from electrospun nanoribbons was investigated in four simulated food media (distilled water, 10% v/v ethanol, 50% v/v ethanol, and 3% v/v acetic acid). The release mechanism of anthocyanins was evaluated using first-order, exponential, Korsmeyer-Peppas, and Higuchi models. The Korsmeyer-Peppas and Higuchi models were defined as the best approach for anthocyanins release profile due to the Fickian diffusion mechanism with R2 > 0.945 and R2 > 0.907, respectively. Also, the results demonstrated DPPH free radical scavenging ranged from 6.5 to 22.5% and appropriate color stability of encapsulated anthocyanins in electrospun nanoribbons at different pH values. Considering the successful anthocyanins encapsulation in electrospun nanoribbons and the degradation reduction due to delay in the release of the active compound, this method could be utilized for red cabbage anthocyanins encapsulation and use in the food industries. This study revealed that electrospinning is a promising method for encapsulating anthocyanins. However, the main limitation of this method is the fiber morphology control in large-scale production.