Development and Characterization of Glandless Cottonseed Meal/Pullulan Fine Fiber Mats

Glandless cotton seed meal (GCSM) extracted from cotton is composed of nearly 50 percent protein. For about every 100kg of cotton fiber produced the cotton plant yields approximately 160kg of cottonseed. GCSM presents a unique opportunity to be used in the food industry. In this study, GCSM based polymer composite edible fine fibers were successfully produced using pullulan as the polymeric base. GCSM solutions were developed and spun as fine fibers using a centrifugal spinning technology. A synergistic approach among fiber output and fiber diameter was pursued by modifying angular velocity and concentration of pullulan and GCSM within an aqueous solution. The developed fibers show average fiber diameters of 720nm with a standard deviation of 200nm. Thermo-physical analysis was conducted. The opportunity to develop GCSM fine fiber mats opens up potential applications in food packaging and drug delivery systems to mention some.