Electrospun rocket seed (Eruca sativa Mill) mucilage/polyvinyl alcohol nanofibers: fabrication and characterization

The production of rocket seed mucilage (RSM)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers has been carried out by electrospinning method followed by their characterization. In this study, 1% RSM and 10% PVA were used for nanofiber production. The determined RSM/PVA ratio was 60:40. The morphology of nanofibers was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) analyses were used to determine the crystal structure of the chemical composition. According to SEM images, beadless, uniform, and smooth nanofibers were produced. The mean diameter of the nanofibers was 102.3 nm. The diffractogram of RSM/PVA nanofibers was similar to RSM diffractogram, namely two slight crystalline peaks at about 2 θ ≈ 14.19° and 26.62°. A broad peak was obtained at 2 θ ≈ 21.21°. This result shows that the nanofiber has some degree of amorphous structure, revealing that the crystalline structure of PVA is decomposed during electrospinning. There was no chemical interaction between RSM and PVA when producing RSM/PVA nanofibers, and PVA improved the physical properties of RSM. In conclusion, this research is the first study on nanofiber production with rocket seed mucilage and PVA. The produced nanofibers can be used in food and pharmaceutical industry, and in the encapsulating bioactive compounds. These nanofibers are more advantageous in biosafety, biocompatibility, and biodegradability compared to synthetic materials. Graphical Abstract