Konjac not only contains sufficient nutrients also has a health care function, its active ingredient glucomannan (KGM) is not only as a food additive widely used in the food industry, but also in agriculture, medicine, other industries and other important role. 1 Sugars
Glucomannan is the main component unique to konjac tubers, molecular formula (C6H10O5)n, is composed of d-glucose and d-mannan by 1:1.6 molar ratio to β-1,4 glycan bond connected to the miscellaneous polysaccharides, the content of which is about 44% to 64%, and the other type is starch and other polysaccharides.
2 Protein and amino acids
Crude protein content in the konjac tuber is 5% to 10%, 16 kinds of amino acids total 6.8% to 8.0% (there are 7 kinds of essential amino acids). Flowering konjac has 18 kinds of amino acids, totaling 6.283%, of which 2.634% are essential, white konjac chips content of 5.14% and 2.137%, respectively.
3 Minerals
Konjac contains a variety of minerals, tuber K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Co and other high content, according to Cui Xi and other reports, the human body essential to a variety of trace elements and macronutrients konjac in the content of quite a lot.
4 Other components
Alkaloid content of 1% to 2%, toxic, but also contains more calcium oxalate crystals, so konjac must be processed before consumption. In addition, konjac can be processed to isolate betulinic acid, β-sitosterol, beeswaxane, xylose, and carotene, thiamin, riboflavin, ascorbic acid and many other substances. 1 weight loss
Konjac's main ingredient is KGM, is an edible plant fiber, not easy to be digested. KGM calorie is very low, and has a strong water absorption, viscosity, expansion rate is high, into the stomach after absorbing gastric juices can be swollen by 20 to 100 times, resulting in a sense of satiety, in order to fully meet the people's dietary pleasure at the same time will not be fattened, no need to intentionally diet, you can achieve a balanced diet, so as to achieve the desired effect of weight loss. It can achieve a balanced diet without intentional dieting, thus realizing the ideal effect of weight loss.
2 Antihypertensive and anticancer
Konjac in the gastrointestinal retention period can be absorbed intestinal, gastric cholesterol, and to promote its excretion. KGM has a certain effect on the secretion of bile to a certain extent can prevent the body's absorption of cholesterol, but also effectively interfere with the metabolic function of cancer cells. Konjac gel into the human intestinal tract after the formation of pore size varies in semi-permeable membrane attached to the intestinal wall, can impede the invasion of harmful substances, including carcinogens, thus playing a detoxification, prevention and treatment of cancer, such as thyroid cancer, gastric cardia, colon cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer and other cancerous tumors role.
3 Calcium
Experiments have shown that the calcium in konjac food is relatively easy to elute out, especially in acidic solution calcium elution rate is higher. People in the consumption of konjac, chewed konjac and acidic gastric fluid contact, calcium will begin to dissolve, and then absorbed from the stomach and intestines, so as to achieve the role of calcium supplementation.
4 Clean stomach
Konjac is slow to digest and absorb after consumption, a large number of soluble plant fiber to promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, can reduce harmful substances in the stomach, intestines, gallbladder retention time, effectively protect the gastric mucosa, clean stomach wall.
5 Detoxification laxative
The rich plant fiber, help active intestinal function, accelerate the excretion of harmful toxins in the body, to prevent and reduce the occurrence of intestinal system diseases. Konjac Gum is a hydrogel-like polysaccharide extracted from the tubers of various konjac plants, and is a high molecular weight, non-ionic KGM. the particles of konjac flour swell and moisturize in contact with water, and then rupture and release the polymer of KGM. Konjac mannan gum is mainly composed of mannose and glucose, and the molar ratio of the two is about 1.6:1.0.
1 Application in Food Processing
KGM has a wide range of properties such as hydrophilicity, thickening, stabilization, emulsifying, suspending, gelation and film-forming, etc., and it can be made into a variety of food additives, which are widely used in the food industry. It can be used as stabilizer for ice cream to make the taste smooth and delicate; as baking food additives for cookies and cakes to make the products smooth in appearance and fluffy in texture; it can increase the strength of noodles and the toughness of noodles; as beer foam stabilizer, it can be used to make fine and even bubbles after pouring and hang the cups for a long time; it is also used as clarifying agent for fruit juices and wines; and it is also used as food preservative to inhibit the propagation of oxygen-loving microorganisms and prolong the freshness period of eggs, meat, fish, fruits and vegetables. As a food preservative, it can inhibit the propagation of aerophilic microorganisms and prolong the freshness of eggs, meat, fish, fruits and vegetables. Utilizing the film-forming property of konjac KGM, microcapsules can be produced. Microencapsulation technology to produce products can protect the embedded microparticle materials, to avoid adverse reactions with other components, while making it isolated from external adverse environmental factors, in maintaining the original color, aroma and taste of the material at the same time, reduce the deterioration of the loss or to extend the shelf-life, improve product quality, so that some of the material is not easy to store or processed materials to become stable and make the mobility of the solid expansion of the use of the scope of good, simplify the production process.
2 Application in agriculture
Konjac glucan dissolved in water, the formation of gel-like solution, fruits and vegetables by the konjac glucan coating, the formation of a layer of colorless and transparent semi-permeable film on the surface, which can effectively prevent O2 from entering the interior of the fruit, slowing down by the respiration of fruits and vegetables produced by the outward diffusion of CO2, so that the role of freshness can be effectively achieved.
Konjac glucan can also be used as animal feed additives. It is made of aquatic animal feed water stability, particle loss rate and crude protein loss rate are very small, in the water can still maintain a certain degree of hardness and elasticity.
3 in the application of medicine
Konjac nutritional health care is to play the role of dietary fiber on the regulation of nutritional imbalance, such as the prevention and treatment of constipation, lowering blood lipids, lowering blood sugar, weight loss and bodybuilding. In addition, it can also be used for the production of contact lenses and medical optical products; in eye care solution with konjac glucan, can prevent the eyes and contact lens drying. Konjac glucan gel disinfection can be used to stop bleeding and promote wound healing; can also be made into hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, weight loss, laxative and other drugs.
4 Applications in other industries
Konjac glucan can be used as paper, printing glue, rubber, ceramics, photographic film adhesion additives; in the petroleum industry can be used as a drilling mud treatment agent and pressure fluid injection agent, effectively improve the quality of the project and the construction progress; in bioengineering can be made into a gel for electrophoretic separation; in the textile industry used as wool, linen and cotton yarns In the textile industry as wool, linen, cotton yarn paste, silk double-sided printing and dyeing paste and post-processing softener; tobacco processing used as aroma-retaining agent; cosmetic industry used as skin cream, shampoo additives; in the wastewater treatment can be used as a biocide embedded materials, so that the slow release of bactericides; in the construction of the building can be used as a dust preventive agent, will be mixed with alkali and surfactants sprayed in the demolition of the building and the surface of the road, you can prevent the construction of dust; in the chemical industry through the esterification of the chemical, and then the surface of the road, can be used as an antidote to dust. After esterification, molding, saponification and cross-linking in chemical industry, it can be used as a chromatographic filler for ion exchange chromatography; after chemical modification and activation, it can be used as a carrier for immobilized enzymes or cells.