Produção de nanofibras de amido e carvacrol com atividades antimicrobiana e antioxidante.

Abstract

Electrospun nanofibers are effective in encapsulating bioactive compounds, generating biodegradable materials applicable as active packaging for food products. These packages interact with food, increasing its shelf life, such as antimicrobials that prevent the growth of deteriorating or pathogenic microorganisms in food. As well as those packages with antioxidant activity that delay oxidations during storage. In this context, the aim of the study was to produce and characterize nanofibers from starch from different sources (corn and potato) with different amylose contents, native or modified. Furthermore, to incorporate the nanofibers with carvacrol aiming at the production of an antimicrobial and antioxidant material. The thesis is divided into three Chapters: First, nanofibers of native and anionic corn starch were produced, both with different amylose contents. In the second chapter, the production of potato starch nanofibers with different aging times of polymeric fiber-forming solution was studied; Finally, in the third chapter, potato starch nanofibers were produced to encapsulate carvacrol and evaluate its antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. In Chapters 1 and 2, the nanofibers were produced and evaluated for their morphological, structural and thermal properties. The soluble potato starch nanofibers were continuous, with diameters in the order of nanometers and high thermal stability (Chapter 2). Thus, they were chosen for the encapsulation of carvacrol (Chapter 3). The starch/carvacrol nanofibers showed high antioxidant against ABTS radical and antimicrobial activity, reducing the growth of L. monocytogenes, S. Typhimurium, E. coli and S. aureus and maintaining their antimicrobial activity against S. aureus for 30 days. The nanofibers showed potential to be applied in food products conservation through the formation of active packages.