Assessing the Bactericidal Effectiveness of Clove Oil Nanoemulsion‐Loaded Polycaprolactone Nanofibers for Eco‐Friendly and Endurable Food Packaging

ABSTRACT This research investigates the possible use of polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofiber loaded with different concentrations of clove oil (CO) as an antimicrobial bioactive agent for utilization in food packaging. CO nanoemulsions were prepared using various concentrations of CO resulting in small, spherically‐shaped particles. The codes (CO‐1, CO‐2, and CO‐3) were given to these nanoemulsions, which had relative diameters of 69 nm, 71 nm, and 150 nm, respectively. After adding CO nanoemulsion to PCL solutions, the resulting nanofiber samples (PCL‐CO 1, PCL‐CO 2, and PCL‐CO 3), showed contact angle values (131.1°, 125.1°, and 117.4°) than the unmodified PCL nanofibers without CO (PCL ‐base; 140.5°). These obtained nanofibers exhibited smooth feature. Additionally, evaluations of thermal stability revealed that PCL loaded with CO exhibited higher thermal resistance when compared to PCL nanofibers without CO loading (PCL base). The antibacterial assessments conducted on these nanofibers revealed that their efficiency against typical food spoilage bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Salmonella enterica , Listeria monocytogenes , and Bacillus subtilis , improved as the concentration of CO increased. Surprisingly, the most inhibitory impact was seen at greater CO concentrations, with bacterial counts being considerably reduced by 6.5 log 10 CFU/mL. Significantly, the PCL‐CO 3 nanofiber composite showed encouraging characteristics that point to its possible use in reducing the growth of microorganisms in food packaging environments. These results highlight the potential use of PCL nanofibers loaded with CO (PCL‐CO 3 in particular) as multi‐purposes antibacterial agent appropriate for using in food packaging.