Production of zein protein microfiber by electrospinning

Biodegradable edible zein microfibers were prepared using acetic acid as solvent. Uniform and beadfree zein fibers could be obtained by changing the solution concentration, the electrospinning voltage, the solution feed rate and the distance between needle tip and collector. The solution concentration at three levels: 22, 26 and 30 w/v %, the electrospinning voltage at three levels: 10, 20 and 30 kV, the solution feed rate at three levels: 4, 8 and 12 ml/h and the distance between needle tip and collector at three levels: 10, 15 and 20 cm were studied. Central composite design (CCD) was utilized to study the effect of electrospinning parameters of zein solution and the data were analyzed using response surface methodology (RSM). According to results of this research, the solution concentration had significant influence (P