Enhancing mucoadhesion: Exploring rheological parameters and texture profile in starch solutions, with emphasis on micro-nanofiber influence.

This comprehensive analysis explores the rheological parameters and texture profile analysis (TPA) to effect starch solutions for mucoadhesion and assess the impact of micro-nanofibers (MNFs) on these parameters. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image confirmed through 'image analysis software' that the average diameter of MNFs was approximately 328 ±â€¯39 nm. The surface chemistry of all six samples was examined through the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) technique. The spectrum of FTIR was recorded in the range of 500-4000 cm-1. The combination of chitosan and collagen MNFs significantly enhanced rheological properties, viscosity (651 mPa⸳s), stress (81.3 Pa), and angular frequency G' and G″ (845 Pa and 312 Pa), respectively, at 1500 µL MNFs, under pH conditions of 7.0 and temperature at 30 °C. This enhancement rendered starch solutions more suitable to mucoadhesion. Potato starch emerged as a strong candidate for mucoadhesion due to its low hardness (4.62 ±â€¯0.31 N), high adhesion (0.0322 ±â€¯0.0053 mJ), cohesiveness (0.37 ±â€¯0.03 Ratio), lower chewiness (0.66 ±â€¯0.12 mJ), and gumminess (1.69 ±â€¯0.23 N). The inclusion of MNFs, especially collagen/chitosan MNFs showed the potential to further enhance adhesion and cohesiveness.