Study on electrospinning of polyvinyl alcohol nanofibers loaded with carotenoids for enhanced stability and its multifarious applications

The applications of carotenoids in various sectors like the dietary supplement, medicinal, and cosmetic industries encourage scientists to research new natural carotenoids. The main concern with carotenoids is their stability because they are light- and heat-sensitive compounds. Loading of pigment derived from B. infantis in polyvinyl alcohol increases its stability and makes it useful for various applications. This study aims to synthesize pigment-loaded polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofiber from marine Bacillus infantis using an electrospinning technique. The average diameter of pigment-loaded PVA nanofibers determined from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was 276 ± 13.85 nm. The thermal stability of the pigment was significantly improved by loading pigment into PVA nanofiber. The existence of pigment in the produced nanofibers as well as the increase in pigment stability were confirmed by the data from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results indicated that the PVA electrospun matrix has a 91% ± 0.05% carotenoid loading effectiveness. The pigment-loaded PVA nanofibers exhibited antioxidant activity and antibacterial action against S. aureus, B. megaterium, and S. marcescens. The results suggest that B. infantis-derived carotenoids loaded in PVA nanofiber might be used as an appropriate coating for food packaging and medical equipment.