What are the functions and applications of konjac and konjac flour?

Konjac, also known as ghost taro, flower pole lotus, snakehead boy, Tannenbaum, etc., commonly known as gray cabbage, is a perennial herb of the genus Konjac in the family Tannenbaum. Contains glucomannan (KGM), protein, starch, crude fiber, a variety of amino acids and other substances, is China’s traditional food and medicine resources. Because of its unique physical and chemical properties, konjac has been widely used in medicine, petroleum, chemical, geological, automotive, printing and dyeing, building materials, agriculture, environmental protection, aerospace and aviation and many other fields.
Classification of konjac flour
Konjac powder is divided into ordinary konjac powder, ordinary konjac powder, ordinary konjac micro-powder, purified konjac powder, purified konjac powder, purified konjac micro-powder 6 types.
Ordinary konjac flour: dried konjac (including slices, strips, horns) by physical drying and fresh konjac using crushed fast dehydration or wet processing of edible alcohol to remove impurities such as starch preliminary particle size ≤ 0.425mm (40 mesh) particles accounted for more than 90% of the konjac flour.
Ordinary konjac fine powder: dried konjac (including slices, strips, corners) by physical drying and fresh konjac using crushed fast dehydration or wet processing of edible alcohol to remove impurities such as starch preliminary particle size of 0.125mm-0.425mm (120 mesh-40 mesh) particles accounted for more than 90% of the konjac flour. Ordinary konjac micro-powder: dried konjac (including slices, strips, corners) by physical drying and fresh konjac using crushed fast dehydration or by the edible alcohol wet processing preliminary removal of impurities such as starch particle size ≤ 0.125mm (120 mesh) particles accounted for more than 90% of the konjac flour.
Purified konjac flour: with fresh konjac wet processing by cooking alcohol or konjac flour purified by cooking alcohol to glucomannan content of more than 70%, particle size ≤ 0.425mm (40 mesh) particles accounted for more than 90% of the konjac flour.
Purified konjac flour: with fresh konjac by edible alcohol wet processing or konjac flour purified by edible alcohol to glucan content of more than 70%, particle size in 0.125mm-0.425mm (120 mesh-40 mesh) particles accounted for more than 90% of the konjac flour.
Purified konjac micropowder: with fresh konjac by edible alcohol wet processing or konjac fine powder by edible alcohol purification to glucan content of more than 70%, particle size ≤ 0.125mm (120 mesh) particles accounted for more than 90% of the konjac flour. The main chemical composition of konjac tuber
Sugars: glucomannan is the main component unique to konjac tuber, is by d-glucose and d-mannan according to 1:1.6 molar ratio to β-1,4 glycosidic bond connected to the heteropolysaccharide, its content of about 44% -64%, the other category is starch and other polysaccharides. Protein and amino acids: konjac tubers in the crude protein content of 5%-10%, 16 kinds of amino acids total 6.8%-8.0% (there are 7 kinds of essential amino acids). Minerals: konjac contains a variety of minerals, tubers in K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Co and other high content. Other components: alkaloid content of 1% -2%, toxic, also contains more calcium oxalate crystals, so konjac must be treated before eating. In addition, konjac can be processed to separate out birch acid, β-sitosterol, bee flower alkanes, xylose and carotene, thiamin, riboflavin, ascorbic acid and other substances. Application of konjac
Konjac as a food raw material has a long history, but our products are fewer, only konjac dry, konjac powder and konjac tofu and other products, in recent years, with the improvement of food processing technology and the people of konjac special properties and functions of the continuous deepening of research and understanding, domestic and foreign konjac as the main raw material or auxiliary raw materials for the processing of food continues to appear, konjac in the food is also more and more wide range of applications, such as as Thickeners, emulsifiers, quality improvers, suspending agent auxiliary filler items.
The use of konjac powerful expansion, viscosity, gel and other characteristics, you can use konjac glucomannan production of konjac tofu, konjac noodles, konjac vermicelli, konjac crystal cake, jam, salad, caviar and so on.
In food, adding konjac powder not only has health care function, at the same time to improve processing performance, extend the shelf life of food, give food color, aroma, taste and so on have an important role.
Add 10% -20% of the konjac gel in pork can produce low-fat pork sausage. Also available KGM hydrolysis enzyme hydrolysis KGM production of konjac drinks, alcoholic fermentation with yeast to produce alcoholic beverages. Konjac gel can be added to flavorings can be made of konjac beef jerky, konjac dried fruit and so on.
The application of konjac powder in food The application of konjac powder in food is mainly based on its water-absorbing swelling, thickening, gel, film-forming and health effects.

In the bread, cakes and other baked goods in the application of flour to add konjac flour can improve the stability of the dough, increase water absorption, improve the gluten and elasticity of gluten, increase the volume of bread, and anti-aging effect, made of soft and delicate taste of bread.
In the noodles, vermicelli in the application of konjac flour can improve the processing performance of noodles, cut off the non-stick, drying is not easy to fall strip, the maturation process of the dough is not block, made of noodles uniform texture, smooth, tough, long cooking constantly, not paste soup. Add a certain percentage (such as rice flour for 0.1-0.5%, sweet potato flour for 0.5-1%, soybean flour for 0.1-0.5%) konjac flour production of vermicelli, white color, cooking resistance, not muddy soup, not easy to break the strip, edible taste delicate, pliable, dry vermicelli storage resistance, handling resistance.
In the application of tofu add konjac flour tofu, than the general tofu toughness, good water retention, not easy to break, delicate taste, appearance of white and tender.
Application of konjac flour in ice cream can improve the viscosity of ice cream liquid, prevent the formation of coarse sugar ice crystals, so that the product organization is delicate and smooth, stable form.
In the beverage application of konjac powder has a great thickening effect and stable under acidic conditions, so it can be used in drinks with pulp, improve the viscosity of juice and pulp, suspension stabilization of pulp, improve the quality of beverages.
Application in confectionery with agar with konjac flour to make gel soft candy, the products obtained are soft, smooth, high elasticity, unique taste, and high water content, can reduce production costs. Konjac flour gel strength, elasticity, high transparency, no particulate matter, pouring easy to take off the mold, and the precision of the formation of the gel is not too much influence, the preparation is more convenient and inexpensive.

Application in meat products in the egg white sausage add konjac fine powder, can improve the adhesion of minced meat and the viscosity of the slurry, the products made of good elasticity.
Application in the bionic food can be developed with konjac flour with natural beef color, aroma, taste and texture of the bionic beef jerky, konjac flour added to soybean isolate protein can enhance the spinning of soybean isolate protein.
Application in the preservation of fruits and vegetables with konjac glucomannan solution and methyltolbutazin were processed Wenzhou mandarin orange, in the ventilated storage at room temperature, the results found in konjac glucomannan aqueous solution of citrus fruits, the storage period is extended, the appearance of the color and color and nutritional components to maintain; konjac glucomannan preservation effect than the ordinary use of methyltolbutazin preservation method is significant.
In the application of health food konjac powder in alkaline conditions produced by the gel and juice composite made of juice granular drinks, such products have certain health effects. Konjac fine powder and tea as the main ingredient in the preparation of konjac black tea and konjac flower tea formula, processing technology and physicochemical quality, two kinds of beverage flavor is unique, with easy nutritional health care functions. Screening of flat mushroom bacteria inoculated in the fermentation medium containing konjac fine powder, to obtain fermented konjac fluid fiber beverage, fluid fiber up to 0.5% or more, no konjac fishy taste, containing high protein, calcium, iron, zinc and beneficial components of the fungus, has a certain health care effect.
Prospects for the development of konjac products
Make full use of the konjac food science performance, through various means to improve the taste and appearance of the product, improve its nutritional value, in order to ensure its unique elasticity and taste under the premise of improving its adhesion and softness, further research and development of a variety of types of konjac food.
The use of konjac in the KGM contained in the human body of a variety of nutritional health effects, the development of a series of health food and functional food will receive people’s favor.
As konjac has a high medicinal value, so the konjac contained in some of the medicinal value of the composition of the isolation and purification, made of new drugs, has to be further explored.
Konjac glucan as raw material research and development of daily chemical products, such as face masks, skin care water, soap, cosmetics and other products.
The use of konjac, konjac gum and other colloids synergistic effect, the development of green plant gum, the production of preservatives, adhesives, flocculants, suspending agents and stabilizers, etc., for food, printing and dyeing, paper, medicine and other fields.