Konjac mannan: properties and applications

In recent years, people tend to consume a healthy products, therefore manufactures of health and wellness products have incorporated useful biomaterial into many functional- food formulations, that one of them is konjac. Konjac is a natural hydrocolloid derived from the tubers of the Amorphopallus konjac. It is a linear polysaccharide composed of mannose and glucose units, making it a glucomannan. Konjac glucomannan(KGM) is considered as one of the most promising natural polysaccharides for its low cost, richness, renewability, and its envisaged great potential for food and medicine industries. KGM has different structures leading to various functionalities or bioactivities. KGM chain was a two- fold helix stabilized by intra- molecular O-3-O-5’ hydrogen bondes with the O-6 rotational position. This makes that useful for preventing water and oil sepration. Also it is multi-bioactivity companent.Konjac is often called by its molecular name, glucomannan. This long-chain, water-soluble polysaccharide of high molecular weight (200,000 to 2,000,000).Konjac also combines synergistically with other hydrocolloids to create a wide range of mouthfeels, textures and gel strengths. Some of these hydrocolloids are Tara gum, xantan, carrageenans and starches that provide different features and applications for konjac.Also they create a wide range of mouthfeels, textures and gel strengths and is useful in bakery products, dessert, etc.