A novel antimicrobial packaging material was obtained by incorporating cinnamon essential oil/beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complex (CEO/beta-CD-IC) into polylacticacid (PLA) nanofibers via electrospinning technique. The CEO/beta-CD-IC was prepared by the co-precipitation method and SEM and FT-IR spectroscopy analysis indicated the successful formation of CEO/beta-CD-IC, which improved the thermal stability of CEO. The CEO/beta-CD-IC was then incorporated into PLA nanofibers by electrospinning and the resulting PLA/CEO/beta-CD nanofilm showed better antimicrobial activity compared to FLA/CEO nanofilm. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of PLA/CEO/beta-CD nanofilm against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was approximately 1 mg/ml (corresponding CEO concentration 11.35 mu g/ml) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was approximately 7 mg/ml (corresponding CEO concentration 79.45 mu g/ml). Furthermore, compared with the casting method, the mild electrospinning process was more favorable for maintaining greater CEO in the obtained film. The FLA/CEO/beta-CD nanofilm can effectively prolong the shelf life of pork, suggesting it has potential application in active food packaging. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.