Pectin/chaste berry oil nanoemulsions and nanofibers for women's medical textiles

Pectin(P)/chaste berry oil (CBO) nanoemulsions (NEs) and nanofibers (NFs) were generated and characterized in this study. First, processing conditions of CBO NEs were optimised employing ultrasonication process by using aqueous pectin solutions. An ultrasonication time of 5 min in the absence of a surfactant, i.e., Tween 80, delivered the smallest droplet sizes of 329±10 nm. Electrospinning solutions containing P/CBO NEs were prepared with the addition of polyethylene oxide (PEO), dimethyl oxide (DMSO), and Triton X-100. Electrospinning processing conditions were optimised to obtain stable and homogeneous fibrous membranes of P/CBO NEs. Neat pectin nanofibers exhibited a fiber diameter of ca. 400 nm. Addition of CBO increased the fiber diameters (ca. 500 nm) and pore sizes generally.