Electrospun Sandwich Structural Films Containing Plantago Ovata Seed Gum for Modifying Betaine Release Behaviors

This study aimed to extract aspartic acid from sugar beet molasses using the cloud point method and encapsulate it in the structure of electrospun fast-dissolving poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/Plantago ovata (P. ovata) seed gum fibers as the central layer of the sandwich structure. The outer layers of the sandwich structure were designed with corn zein electrospun fibers (30, 35, and 40% w/v). The field emission scanning electron microscopy showed that the concentration of 35% w/v zein in 70% v/v ethanol provides uniform electrospun fibers for use as a delayed hydrophobic layer in a sandwich structure. The contact angle of the sandwich structure (92.45°) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the contact angle of electrospun mats of PVA/P. ovata seed gum containing 10% w/v sugar beet molasses betaine (53.5°). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry showed that the encapsulation process was successful. The use of a sandwich layer compared to the electrospun single-layer structure of PVA/P. ovata seed gum led to an increase in the thermal stability of betaine. In vitro release modeling showed that for all the structures of the Peppas-Sahlin model, it was the best model to describe the release behavior, and the Fickian diffusion mechanism was the dominant effective mechanism in betaine release.