Characterization of Menthol‐Loaded Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes and the Temperature‐Controlled Release Properties

The controlled release of volatile compounds is one of the important research topics in the field of food. In order to improve the flavor release ability of menthol and to achieve a temperature‐controlled release of menthol, chitosan (CS) and polycaprolactone (PCL) are used as raw materials to prepare nanofibrous membranes by electrostatic spinning and menthol‐loaded nanofibrous membranes are subsequently prepared by incorporating a menthol flavor. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), XRD, and solid‐state NMR are applied to characterize the morphology and chemical structure of the nanofibrous membranes. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is used to test the thermal stability and release characteristics of the menthol‐loaded nanofibrous membranes. The gas chromatography (GC) assay shows that the CS/PCL nanofibrous membrane has a menthol loading of 57.64% and can gradually release menthol from 85 to 260°C, thus, achieving a temperature‐controlled release of menthol. A 14‐day stability test shows that the nanofibrous membrane retains menthol up to 40.23% and cytotoxicity experiments confirm their good biocompatibility and biosafety. The method of embedding menthol proposed in this paper can offer the possibility of controlling the temperature to release menthol and providing potential ideas for the application of menthol in food and pharmaceuticals.