Electrospinning vs. electrospraying: a comparative assessment of the two techniques for orange essential oil encapsulation

The aim of this study was to encapsulate orange essential oil (OEO) in zein polymer by the electrospinning/ electrospraying techniques. OEO at concentrations of 30, 40 and 50% (w/w), was incorporated into 10 and 20% (w/v) zein polymer solutions, for the formation of the capsules and fibers, respectively. The polymer solutions were evaluated for zeta potential. The fibers and capsules were electrospinning/electosprayed and evaluated by efficiency of encapsulation (EE%), loading capacity (LC%), morphology, size distribution and infrared spectrum. Zeta potential proportionately increased with increasing concentration of the OEO. The fibers had higher EE values (77–89%) than capsules (16-20%). The higher OEO concentration showed a higher EE for both products (capsules and fibers) and improved fiber morphology. The electrospinning process was more efficient than electrospraying for OEO encapsulation using zein as a polymeric matrix, showing that this technique is suitable for encapsulation of essential oils.