Chitosan/Polyethylene Oxide Nanofiber Membrane: Synergistic Construction of Active Food Packaging with Berberine and MXene

Research Overview

According to the study published in Volume 58 of Food Packaging and Shelf Life in December 2026, the author Yasamin Shahbazi、Saeedeh Saadati、Masoumeh Salehi、Golnaz Shakeri、Arash Mahboubi Azadeh Haeri reported an electrospun nanofiber material for active food packaging. The matrix of this material is a composite system of chitosan thiourea and polyethylene oxide (PEO), in which berberine and MXene nanosheets are embedded. From the publicly available bibliographic information, the core of this work is to simultaneously introduce two functional components into an electrospun natural polymer/synthetic polymer blend system to form a nanofiber membrane. The research topic clearly points to “active food packaging”, indicating that its application scenario is food packaging materials, rather than general biomedical or water treatment materials.

Materials and Processing Paths

Chitosan thiourea is a modified derivative of chitosan. Chitosan itself has good film-forming properties and biobased source characteristics, but electrospinning processing is difficult in its pure state. Therefore, polyethylene oxide was introduced as a blending component in the study to improve spinnability.

. Electrospinning technology deposits materials in the form of nanofiber membranes, which have a high specific surface area and pore structure, making them suitable as carriers for functional components in active packaging. Berberine is a natural alkaloid, while MXene nanosheets are two-dimensional materials that have received attention in recent years. The simultaneous embedding of both into the fiber system implies that the design concept of the packaging film is not a single functional addition, but rather a combination of organic natural active molecules and inorganic two-dimensional nanosheets to construct an active interface. For packaging materials, such combinations typically involve issues such as the release of active ingredients, membrane surface interactions, and stability of fiber morphology.

Significance for the packaging materials and additives industry

From the perspective of the packaging materials column, the value of this research lies first and foremost in demonstrating a material design path of “biobased matrix+electrospinning film+active component loading”.

. The film used for food and daily chemical packaging is expanding from simple barriers to active functions, with antibacterial, antioxidant and other active packaging being an important direction. The electrospinning properties of chitosan thiourea/PEO system provide a reference formula for the application of natural polymers in packaging film processing. Secondly, this study highlights the importance of processing stability and formula compatibility. During the electrospinning process, the stability of the polymer solution and the uniformity of the fiber morphology directly determine the performance of the membrane; In actual packaging material production, such issues are usually related to stable processing systems. Antioxidants and other additives are commonly used to inhibit the degradation of polymers during thermal processing and storage. Although this study focuses on electrospun films rather than melt processing, its attention to the stability of blend systems is consistent with the direction of stabilization requirements in packaging material processing. Thirdly, food contact compliance is a prerequisite for the application of such active packaging. The migration behavior, safety evaluation, and performance in different food simulants of berberine and MXene nanosheets as new components are all questions that must be answered in the future. The positioning of “active food packaging” in the research topic means that material performance evaluation needs to be carried out around the actual usage conditions of food packaging. In addition, this work also provides indirect inspiration for the application of recycled materials in packaging: there is room for connection between biobased chitosan systems and recyclable design concepts. If functional and structural layers can be reasonably arranged in multi-layer film structures, it will help balance active functions and material recycling. Of course, this direction still requires specialized compatibility and reprocessing research support.

Uncertainties to be aware of

Currently, only the title and author information are available, and the abstract and full-text data have not yet been presented in the source.

. Therefore, the specific addition ratio of berberine and MXene, fiber diameter distribution, quantitative results of antibacterial or antioxidant properties, mechanical and barrier performance data, and conclusions on food contact safety evaluation cannot be confirmed from existing sources. The above content should be based on the full text of the paper and should not be inferred in advance in industry communication.

Information source:Berberine- and MXene nanosheet-embedded electrospun chitosan thiourea/poly(ethylene oxide) nanofibers for active food packaging， Organized by Herun Chemical.