Isolation and characterization of curcumin by antisolvent and cooling crystallization method for a potential antimicrobial nanofibrous membrane

Objective(s): The main objective of this study is to develop a potential antibacterial nanofibrous membrane with a highly porous structure, and a large surface area to volume ratio from a synergistic combination of a synthetic polymer with a bioactive antimicrobial compound like curcumin for different biological applications like wound healing and food packing. Methods: Soxhlet extraction and antisolvent cooling crystallization method were applied for the extraction of curcuminoids and curcumin. Characterization of isolated curcumin was carried out by FTIR spectroscopy and UV-spectrometry as validated according to the international conference of harmonization (ICH). The nanofibrous membrane was generated by an electrospinning technique from a synergistic mixture of polyvinyl alcohol with isolated curcumin. Results: FTIR spectra confirm the presence of all the functional groups and UV-spectrophotometry presented total accuracy in % of 99.25 %, 99.56 %, 99.72 % and 99.96 % respectively. SEM results presented smooth, and continuous nanofibers without any bead-like structures with an average diameter of 215.38 + 29.32 nm in PVA-Cur-10 nanofibers samples. The antibacterial activity of isolated curcumin presented a 24.93+12.3 mm and 23.02 +1.2 mm zone of inhibition against S. aureus, and E.coli respectively.Conclusions: This study presents the successful isolation of curcumin from crude curcuminoid by antisolvent and cooling crystallization method and its use in the preparation of a potential antibacterial electrospun nanofibrous membrane with PVA. The fabricated membrane exhibited excellent durability, strength and antibacterial properties, which can be used to protect wounds and food from harmful bacteria.