| Konnyaku, a traditional Japanese food, is an elastic gel made from glucomannan (konjac powder) contained in the konnyaku potato. Glucomannan is a high performance, high dietary fiber polysaccharide. However, unfortunately, konjac powder contains many impurities which makes it difficult to use for anything except for the konnyaku. A high purity glucomannan (PROPOL A? and Rheolex RS?) was developed by our company using alcohol refinement: we present our research data concerning its characteristics and physiology. High purity glucomannan has a purity of 75% to more than 95% , and the viscosity stability of the dietary fiber in the konjac powder is excellent. Our research data suggests that daily intake of 3 g glucomannan causes a decline in cholesterol. The effect of its addition to desserts, noodles, and cakes as examples of the application of glucomannan to food is discussed. Expansion of glucomannan use is expected due to the change in people's eating habits and the chemical treatment which allows konjac powder to be refined to eliminate impurities |
