Edible, biodegradable nanofibers created from milk protein and plant cellulose

Milk protein and cellulose derived from plants may be the next big thing in sustainability, thanks to a first-of-its-kind advancement made by researchers at Penn State.

Accomplished via electrospinning, which involves using a voltage to force a liquid solution into a cone shape that stretches and morphs into tiny fibers as the solution jets from an ejector, the team combined the milk protein casein with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, a compound also known as hypromellose and derived from plant material, to create nanofibers 1,000 times thinner than a human hair. They then manipulated those fibers into mats that hold promise for a variety of products, like biodegradable – and even edible – food packaging.

"In a proof-of-concept study, we demonstrated the successful fabrication of stand-alone casein-rich electrospun mats," said team co-leader Federico Harte professor of food science in the College of Agricultural Sciences. "Protein-based electrospun nanofibers are highly sought after for their potential use in tissue engineering, biomedical applications such as wound dressings, and emerging roles in edible packaging, offering sustainable food preservation and safety solutions."

Image source: Sharma et al. (2025), Journal of Colloid and Interface Science.