Antibacterial and Antioxidant Gelatin Nanofiber Scaffold Containing Ethanol Extract of Pomegranate Peel: Design, Characterization and In Vitro Assay

Pomegranate peel, as the major part of pomegranate fruit, contains several important bioactive chemical compounds that are unstable and must be protected. In this study, ethanolic pomegranate peel extract (EPPE) was encapsulated with gelatin by electrospinning. First, based on the results, the lowest fiber diameter was obtained at 20% wt/v gelatin in 30:70 (water/acetic acid) ratio and operating conditions (applied voltage 20 kV, distance 10 cm, and flow rate 0/1 mL/h). To investigate the possibility of encapsulation of EPPE in optimum gelatin fibers, two ratios of EPPE/gelatin (25:75, 50:50) were used. 50:50 ratio was selected as the best ratio because of its encapsulation efficiency for further analyses, including the simulated gastrointestinal digestion, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The in vitro digestion showed that the fibers could protect the extract.