Encapsulation of rose hip seed oil into fibrous zein films for ambient and on demand food preservation via coaxial electrospinning

• Rose hip seed oil (REO) loaded into zein fibers using coaxial electrospinning.
• Zein loading concentration affects the fiber size, morphology and hydrophilicity.
• Zein concentration is crucial for loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency.
• Bananas treated with fibrous REO/zein demonstrate most improved shelf-life.

Several active encapsulation technologies using polymeric matrix systems for food preservation have been developed in the last decade. In this study, the microencapsulation of rose hip seed oil (REO) in to a zein prolamine (ZP) fiber matrix via the coaxial electrospinning technique is studied. The morphological features of core-sheath REO encapsulated ZP fibers were modulated through process parameters (e.g. active and polymer solution concentration, applied voltage and media flow rate). The ZP solution concentration (outer needle) was found to be critical for REO loading capacity (LC) and encapsulation efficiency (EE). The optimal LC and EE of REO in ZP matrix was 12.24% and 90.16%, respectively, and were achieved using a ZP concentration of 35 w/v%. Food packaging potential was evaluated using peeled and segmented fruits (bananas and cumquats). The findings demonstrate a facile packaging route to improve food sustainability and reduce waste.