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Zein is the major protein in corn and the main byproduct of the starch industry and, therefore, crucial for global agricultural commodities. Its unique fibre-forming properties, which underline its potential as a biodegradable material, have drawn intensified interest from the public, scientists, and industries because of growing concern about environmental risks. As zein electrospun nanofibre has been studied in different research fields, the recent advances in zein electrospun nanofibres in the therapeutic field need re-examination. This review provides an overview of various methods of modifications (e.g., crosslinking, deamidation and glycosylation on the fibre-forming properties of zein and different electrospun setups (e.g., emulsion and multi-layer electrospinning) in the last decade and reports current applications in the therapeutic field such as controlled release, wound healing, tissue engineering and biosensor. It also discussed the mechanisms of modifications such as electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic interactions, and van der Waals forces. The biocompatibility, fibre-forming and encapsulation properties of zein make it a potential replacement for traditional synthetic materials. Since specific properties of zein-based materials are acquirable via different modifications and processing, developing an insight into the relationship between functions and microstructure and conformations of the modified zein-based nanofibres along with different electrospun processes could contribute to high-quality zein-based fibrous products. It also discussed the potential limitations and challenges of zein-based nanofibres.
Chen et al. (Fri,) studied this question.