Abstract
Konjac glucomannan (KGM) has attracted extensive attention because of its biodegradable, non-toxic, harmless, and biocompatible features. Its gelation performance is one of its most significant characteristics and enables wide applications of KGM gels in food, chemical, pharmaceutical, materials, and other fields. Herein, different preparation methods of KGM gels and their microstructures were reviewed. In addition, KGM applications have been theoretically modeled for future uses.
Highlights
Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is a water-soluble polysaccharide separated from konjac tubers
The preparation methods of KGM gel mainly include the alkaline processing [9,10], borate cross-linking [11,12], polymer compounding [13,14], high voltage electric field preparation [15,16], and metal ion cross-linking after modification [17,18]
The gel microstructure largely determines the performance of the gel, but KGM gels prepared through different methods are significantly different in terms of microstructure [19,20,21]
Summary
Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is a water-soluble polysaccharide separated from konjac tubers. The KGM main chain is polymerized by D-mannose and D-glucose with a α-1,4-pyranoside bond and a small amount of acetyl groups at the C–6 position of the side chain. These can only be hydrolyzed by α-mannase at the end of the small intestine and the colon of the human body [4,5,6]. With good biocompatibility and biodegradability [22,23,24], KGM gels have been widely used in food [19,21,25], pharmaceutical carriers [14,26], tissue scaffolds [27,28], absorbing materials [2,29] and other fields. The application of KGM gel was discussed to provide new directions for further studies on KGM gel
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