مقاله انگلیسی رایگان در مورد الکترواسپینینگ نانوفیبری مواد غذایی – الزویر 2018

Proteins found in food are an essential material required for the maintenance of human health. There are a variety of sources for food proteins, both from animal and plants. In this study we examine whey protein; a material comprised of a variety of globular proteins formed of the essential amino acids. Whey is derived from milk processing, produced as a by-product in the preparation of cheese and casein. Whey possesses both a nutritional benefit and functional properties along with a potentially high economic value, making it of particular use to the food industry. The functional properties of whey include features such as its solubility, absorption, water holding capacity, viscosity, emulsifying, foaming or gelation and these are beneficial aspects that can be utilised in food processing and consumption1,2 . The modification of whey protein is of considerable interest if it is intended to improve its functional properties3 and novel applications for processed whey proteins are now growing. Amongst the more recent examples, whey has been recognized as a possible vehicle to deliver bioactive materials and pharmaceutical compounds4,5,6 . The overall bulk properties of the whey protein will be dependent on the molecular interactions in the material with itself and its surroundings, which in turn can be influenced by how the material is processed1. The functional properties of the material will also impact on aspects relating to the sensory attributes of consumption in terms of texture and flavour7 . In this study we investigate fibre production of globular whey protein on a micro and nano scale, which could be of potential use in the food industry as a form of textured food product, such as a synthetic meat. Meat from animal sources is made up cells containing proteins formed into fibrous bundles. As opposed to the synthetic meats made from tissue engineering practices8,9 , the concept here investigates the use of electrospinning to produce fibre bundles of whey protein as a potential replacement for the fibre bundles that form the muscular tissue in meat. Thus typical diameters of the hierarchical structures of muscle fibres range from just below 10 nm through to 100 nm up to bundles of fibres of 100 micron or larger. Electrospinning is a simple method of producing continuous, long, ultra-fine fibres with diameters from a few micrometres down to a few nanometres with the aid of an electric field,11 thus electrospinning is ideal for forming larger bundles of fibres (up to a few 100 microns) made up from individual submicron diameters fibres, in line with the dimensions of the hierarchical structures described above.12 The technique relies on the response of polymer solutions to this electric field13 and compared with the limitations of conventional fibre forming technology14,15,16 the electrospinning technique produces “finer fibres” with greater surface areas per unit mass.