Carrier-Mediated Reformulation of Pine Honey: Comparative Characterization of MCC-Based Powdered and PVA–Electrospun Fibrous Matrices

Abstract

Abstract Although honey powdering and honey-loaded electrospinning have been studied separately, the resulting formulations have not been directly compared using the same pine honey matrix. Here, MCC-assisted powdering and PVA-based electrospinning were evaluated side by side within a common analytical framework. Scanning electron microscopy showed distinct architectures, with irregular agglomerated particles in the powdered system and a continuous fibrous network in the electrospun system. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated formulation-dependent mass-loss behavior, while Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed shared absorption regions in the reformulated systems, with the observed spectral profiles reflecting contributions from both the pine honey matrix and the respective MCC and PVA carriers. A diffusion assay against reference bacterial strains was included as a supplementary formulation-response test. Because the materials differed in geometry and agar contact, inhibition zones were interpreted as diffusion-dependent responses rather than intrinsic potency rankings. These findings show that non-thermal powdering and electrospinning generate chemically recognizable but structurally distinct pine honey matrices with relevance for agricultural and food chemistry.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. ACS Food Science & Technology, 2026 · DOI ↗