Glucomannan (Konjac Fibre)

Konjac glucomannan is the storage polysaccharide of the corm of Amorphophallus konjac K. Koch, family Araceae. The dried corm carries around 40 percent glucomannan by dry weight, which is why konjac rather than any other mannan crop is the commercial source. The polymer is a chain of beta-1,4-linked D-mannose and D-glucose in a ratio of about 1.6 to 1, with roughly 8 percent branching through beta-1,6-glucosyl linkages. It is indexed under CAS 37220-17-0 as konjac and E 425, and under CAS 11078-31-2 as glucomannan generally. As a food additive it is E 425 (ii) konjac glucomannan, the purified form, as distinct from E 425 (i) konjac gum, which is the less-refined article; the Codex INS number for both is 425. Thovek supplies the purified powder as an off-white to light cream, near-odourless free-flowing solid at 80, 120 and 200 mesh, and as finished capsules for brands that want the dose already made up. The property buyers are paying for is hydration behaviour: the powder disperses in cold water, swells, builds very high viscosity and will set to a gel. That is what carries konjac noodles and shirataki products, low-calorie jellies and desserts, meal-replacement shakes, gluten-free bakery, hydrocolloid systems and fibre supplements. Viscosity is grade-dependent and lot-dependent, so it is reported on the certificate of analysis rather than fixed in a catalogue: state the target viscosity and mesh at enquiry and the grade is matched to it. The material is plant-derived, vegan, vegetarian and non-GMO, contains no animal-origin component, and is free from milk, egg, soy, fish, crustacean, gluten, peanut and tree nut. Two regulatory points belong on the file before you contract. First, in the EU, Directive 2003/52/EC removed jelly confectionery, including jelly mini-cups, from the permitted uses of konjac E 425 following choking incidents, so any confectionery application must be checked against that restriction rather than assumed. Second, Health Canada has advised that glucomannan supplement products carry a potential for harm if taken without at least 250 ml of fluid, which is why capsule and sachet labels in several markets carry a water-intake instruction. On tariff treatment the spreadsheet code is wrong for the powder, and the classification note explains why and what replaces it. Thovek makes no therapeutic or disease claim on this ingredient: what is described here is a food-technology function, namely water binding, viscosity development and gel formation. Nutrition and health claim wording is market-specific and rests with the brand owner.