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Chemical and physical characterization of Konjac glucomannan-

based powders by FTIR and 13C MAS NMR

Denise Felix da Silva, Camilla Yara Langer Ogawa, Francielle

Sato, Antonio Medina Neto, Flemming Hofmann Larsen, Paula
Toshimi Matumoto-Pintro

PII: S0032-5910(19)31032-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2019.11.071
Reference: PTEC 14953

To appear in: Powder Technology

Received date: 6 January 2019

Revised date: 4 November 2019
Accepted date: 21 November 2019

Please cite this article as: D.F. da Silva, C.Y.L. Ogawa, F. Sato, et al., Chemical and
physical characterization of Konjac glucomannan-based powders by FTIR and 13C MAS
NMR, Powder Technology(2019), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2019.11.071

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© 2019 Published by Elsevier.

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Chemical and physical characterization of Konjac

glucomannan-based powders by FTIR and 13C MAS NMR

Denise Felix da Silvaac*, Camilla Yara Langer Ogawab, Francielle Satob, Antonio Medina
Netob, Flemming Hofmann Larsenc, Paula Toshimi Matumoto-Pintroa

a
Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Departament de Agronomy, Av. Colombo, 5790, PR
87020900, Brazil.
b
Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Departament of Physics, Av. Colombo, 5790, PR
87020900, Brazil.
c
University of Copenhagen, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science,

f
Rolighedsvej 26, DK-1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.

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*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +45 35332345 pr
E-mail address: denise_felix@outlook.com; denise@food.ku.dk
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Abstract
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Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is extracted from Amorphophallus konjac tuber and

composed of β-1,4 linked D-mannose and D-glucose. We aimed to produce and
characterize KGM-based powders manufactured from dried (55°C-KF55 and 75°C-
KF75) konjac tubers and compare to a commercial konjac glucomannan (CKG) powder.
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Structural characteristics on molecular, compositional, and microstructure levels as well

as rehydration properties were assessed. Both compositional analysis as well as FTIR and
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13C MAS NMR spectral analysis demonstrated a higher amount of protein than KF55
sample. The ratio between the two monomer units (D-mannose and D-glucose) was 1.6:1
in KF75, whereas it was 1.4:1 and 1.2:1 for KF55 and CKG, respectively, indicating
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slightly higher Man:Glc ratios in the KF samples. Decreased rehydration properties and
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flow index behavior (in solution) were observed in the konjac flours. Thus, differences
were significant; konjac flours also presented good functionality, thereby, a good
alternative to be used as hydrocolloid in food formulations.

Keywords: glucomannan, Amorphophallus konjac, konjac flour, NMR, FTIR

1. Introduction

Hydrocolloids are a group of long-chain polymers characterized by their property of

forming viscous dispersions and/or gels when dispersed in water [1]. For decades food

hydrocolloids have been used as functional powdered food ingredients in beverages,

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confectionery, dairy and bakery products due to their ability to act as texturizers,

stabilizers, thickeners and bulking agents. The addition of even small amounts of food

hydrocolloids can be sufficient to achieve these properties [2].

Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is a class of commercially important hydrocolloids [2]

which is a neutral polysaccharide extracted from konjac tubers (Amorphophallus konjac

K. Koch) originally grown in Asia where it is used due to its detoxifying properties as a

food ingredient [3]. Konjac glucomannan is composed of β-1,4 linked D-mannose and D-

glucose [4]. The ratio of mannose to glucose is about 1.6:1 with some branching points

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at the C-3 position of the mannoses. Dispersions of konjac glucomannan (0.5 g/100 g)

had the highest viscosity amongst 12 polysaccharides including k-carrageenan, gum

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arabic and xanthan gum, and exhibits shear thinning behavior [5].
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Konjac glucomannan is extracted from the tuber by an extraction or purification
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process [6]. Several techniques to extract glucomannan from konjac flour can be adopted

such as enzymatic treatment, washing with alcohol, centrifugation, the addition of

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dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), phase separation or a combination of methods. Every year,

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more than 1,200,000 tons of KGM is purified from konjac tubers [7]. Nevertheless, most
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of these processes are costly, complex and more studies are needed to understand the
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influence of the extraction procedure on physicochemical properties [8–10].

The introduction of a simplified and cheaper process to produced konjac-

glucomannan-based powders represents an attractive alternative for the food industry.

Furthermore, the lower price will potentially broaden the range of applications and

increase the market share for konjac glucomannan-based powders. We previously showed

that the addition of 0.5 % w/w of konjac powder in fat reduced (25% and 50% reduction)

processed cheese enables the development of similar texture and rheological profiles

when compared to a full fat processed cheese [11]. Therefore, the present study aims to
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understand the characteristics of konjac powders produced by a simple process from

konjac tubers cultivated in Brazil, and thoroughly compare those to a commercial konjac

glucomannan powder. This comparison includes the characterization of rehydration

(water holding and retention capacities) and viscosity. Furthermore, the different KGM-

based powders were compared by FTIR and solid-state 13C MAS NMR spectroscopy to

elucidate the structural characteristics on a molecular level.

2. Materials and methods

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2.1. Materials

Three different KGM-based powders were used in this study. Commercial konjac
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glucomannan (CKG) was imported by Fragon®, São Paulo, Brazil from China. The
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konjac flours were prepared in a laboratory scale where the konjac tubers were purchased
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from a small farmer in South of Brazil (23° 28’ 17.639” S51° 49’ 32.642” W). The konjac

flours were prepared by cleaning, peeling, grinding and drying the konjac tuber
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(Amorphophallus Konjac) at 55 °C (KF55) as described by us in a previous study [11]

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or 75°C (KF75) to constant weight (end of drying) in a drying oven with air circulation
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and ground to ≤ 300 µm particle size. All other reagents were of analytical grade.
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2.2. Chemical and physical characterization

2.2.1 Composition

KGM-based powders were analyzed for nitrogen, protein, fat, ash and moisture

content [12]. The pH was determined using a digital pH-meter (Tecnopon®, Piracicaba,

Brazil) in an aqueous solution (distilled water) (1:10). A nitrogen-to-protein conversion

factor of 6.25 was applied for the samples [12]. Carbohydrate content was determined by

subtracting the sum of moisture, protein and ash percentages from 100%. All analyses

were performed in triplicate.

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2.2.2 Color

Color parameters, L (lightness), a (redness) and b (yellowness) of CKG and flours

(KF55 and KF75) were evaluated on a Chroma Meter CR-400 (Konica Minolta Business

Technologies, Tokyo, Japan). The colorimeter was standardized using a white calibration

plate. The colorimetric data corresponds to CIELAB color space obtained under D65

illuminant and 2º standard observer condition. All measurements were done in triplicate.

The color was presented as a CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram [13].

2.2.3 Microstructure

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Morphology of KGM-based powders was investigated using a Scanning Electron

Microscope-SEM (Quanta 250, FEI, Hillsboro, United States of America) at 15 kV. The
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samples were attached to double-sided adhesive carbon tabs mounted on scanning
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electron microscopy and coated with gold–before observation in the microscope
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[9,14,15].

2.3. Structural characterization

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2.3.1 Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy

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FTIR spectra of CKG, KF55, and KF75 powders were assessed using an FTIR
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spectrometer (Vertex 70v model, Bruker, Germany) with a single reflection attenuated
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total reflectance (ATR) accessory (Platinum, Bruker, Germany) equipped with a diamond

crystal. The spectral range was 4000–400 cm-1 with a resolution of 4 cm-1. All the spectra

are an average of 200 scans with background and ATR correction.

2.3.2 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy

Hydrated samples were prepared by weighing out the powders in the rotor and

subsequently adding D2O using a Hamilton Microliter ® #810 syringe. Prior to the

acquisition, the hydrated samples had been spinning at 9 kHz for at least 1 hour to ensure

proper mixing of powder and D2O. An aliquot of 43 μl of D2O was mixed with 32.0-32.5
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mg of powder. The degree of hydration in weight-% (= 100 % *mD2O/(mD2O+mpowder))

was ~ 60 %.

The solid-state NMR experiments were performed using a Bruker Avance 400

spectrometer (9.4 T) operating at 400.13, and 100.62 MHz for 1H and 13

C respectively,

employing a double tuned solid-state probe equipped with 4 mm (o.d.) spinners. The

single-pulse (SP) MAS and cross-polarization (CP) MAS spectra were recorded using a

spin-rate of 9 kHz, 4096 scans (512 scans for dry powders), ramped CP [16] with a contact

time of 1 ms for CP/MAS spectra and 1H TPPM decoupling [17] during acquisition (49.9

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ms for 13C). Recycle delays of 8 s (16 s for dry powders), and 16 s were employed for the

CP/MAS and SP/MAS experiments, respectively. For 13C MAS spectra field strengths of
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80 kHz were employed for 1H and 13C. All 13C MAS spectra were referenced (externally)
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to the carbonyl resonance in -glycine at 176.5 ppm. All spectra were apodized by a
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Lorentzian line broadening of 10 Hz.

Deconvolution of the anomeric carbon resonances in the spectral region 90-110 ppm
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was performed by Gnuplot 5.2 (patch level 2) employing a script where the Lorentzian
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line width of the two resonances was kept constant (120, 140 and 150 Hz for KF55, KF75,
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and CKG, respectively) during optimization of chemical shift and intensity.

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2.4. Rehydration properties of KGM-based powders

2.4.1 Water holding capacity

Water holding capacity (WHC) is a property that defines the quantity of water bound

to the fibers without the application of any external force [18]. KGM-based powders (1.00

g) were placed into a graduated test tube and stirred for 18 h with 30 mL of distilled water.

The supernatant was collected by filtration and the hydrated residue weight was dried at
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105 °C for 2 h to obtain the residual dry weight [19,20]. Water holding capacity was

expressed according to equation 1.

(1) WHC (g/g) = (hydrated weight – dry weight)/dry weight

2.4.2 Water retention capacity

Water retention capacity (WRC) is defined as the quantity of water bound to the fibers

following the application of an external force (pressure or centrifugation) [18]. KGM-

based powders (1.00 g) were placed into a graduated test tube and stirred for 18 h with

30 mL of distilled water followed by centrifugation at 3000 x g for 20 min, the supernatant

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was removed and the hydrated residue weight was dried at 105 °C for 2 h to obtain the

residual dry weight [19,20]. Water retention capacity was expressed according to

equation 2.
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(2) WRC (g/g) = (hydrated weight after centrifugation – dry weight)/dry weight
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2.4.3 Swelling capacity

Swelling capacity (SC) is defined as the ratio of the volume occupied after the sample
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is immersed in water. KGM-based powders (0.20 g) were placed in a graduated test tube,
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and 10 mL of distilled water was added. The mixture was allowed to hydrate for 18 h,
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and the final volume after swelling was recorded after 18h [18]. Swelling capacity was
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expressed according to equation 3:

(3) SC (mL/g) = volume occupied by sample/original sample weight

2.5. Rheological characterization

Rheological measurements were performed using a controlled stress rheometer Mars

II (Haake®, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Newington, Germany) in an aqueous solution

containing 0.5 % w/w of KGM-based powders in distilled water. The solution was stirred

for 1 h at 20 ± 0.1 °C prior to measurements. Flow curves (shear rate versus shear stress)
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were carried out from 0.1 to 300 s−1 during 300 s. Data were fitted to the Power Law

model (Equation 4) by a nonlinear regression analysis using Origin Pro 9.1 (OriginLab

Corporation, Northampton, MA 01060 USA) according to previous studies [21]

𝜎 = 𝐾𝛾´ 𝑛 (4), where: σ is shear stress [Pa], γ is shear rate [s -1], K is the consistency

coefficient (Pa.sn), n is the flow behavior index.

The dynamic rheological properties of solutions (0.5% w/w) were determined at 20 ±

0.1 °C with a 35 mm diameter cone-plate and a gap of 0.052 mm. Samples were applied

to the lower plate and allowed to equilibrate for 1 min prior to analysis. Frequency sweep

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analysis was performed from 0.1 to 100.0 Hz at a constant stress of 5 Pa within the linear

viscoelastic region. The storage (G´) and loss (Gʺ) modulus were calculated using
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RheoWin 4.10.0000 (HaakeR) software. Six replicates were performed for each sample.
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2.6. Statistical Analysis

All analyses were carried out in triplicate with three repetitions. Data analyzes were
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conducted using the Statistical Analysis System version 9.1 (SAS Institute Cary, NC).
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Variance analysis was used to establish significant differences. Differences were

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considered significant when p≤ 0.05. Standard errors are indicated in the tables.
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3. Results and Discussions

3.1 Chemical and Physical characteristics

The composition and lightness of the KGM-based powders are shown in Table 1. A

significant higher amount of protein is found for the flours, while the moisture content

was found to be higher for the commercial sample (CKG). The moisture content of KF55

(6.66 %) was slightly, but not significantly, higher than for KF75 (4.66 %). Fat was not

detected by the methodology used. The pH was significantly lower for the commercial
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sample which might be related to the purification process. Likewise, a higher amount of

proteins in the flours were expected due to the purified process of the commercial sample

in comparison with the flours.

Also, konjac flours presented a lighter color than the commercial KGM-based powder

as shown in Table 1. One of the reasons that the flours appear lighter may be the presence

of impurities such as proteins, as seen in the morphology (Figure 1) revealed by the SEM

micrographs. The impurities are much smaller particles compared to purified granules of

CKG, which causes greater diffusivity resulting in a higher L value. This is possible

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because the impurities have a particle size of incident wavelength order, in this case, the

visible region.
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Table 1 shows the rehydration properties of the KGM-based flours. The water holding
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capacity (WHC) for CKG (14.88 g/g) was significantly higher when compared to KF55
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(11.55 g/g) and KF75 (11.75 g/g). The same behavior was found for water retention

capacity (WRC), while CKG showed 18.14 g/g, KF55 showed a value of 12.19 g/g and
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KF75 of 11.52 g/g, but no differences in the swelling capacity (SC) were observed.
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Between the konjac flours, no significant difference was found for WHC, WRC and SC
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measurements (p≤0.05).
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3.2 Structural characteristics

The FTIR spectra of CKG, KF55, and KF75 are presented in Figure 2. All the spectra

were normalized to intensity of the band at 1018 cm-1 and baseline corrected. In the region

of 3000-3700 cm-1 a broad peak mainly related to the O-H and N-H stretches was

observed. For these samples, the main contribution is from the O-H groups in the glucose

and mannose residues, bound water as well as the N-H groups from proteins. Whereas,

peaks in the region 2800-2900 cm-1 originate from the C-H stretches present in the

carbohydrates, as well as residual lipids and proteins (aliphatic and aromatic side chains)
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can be observed. KGM-based powders also showed peaks between 1800 and 1500 cm-1

characteristics vibrational modes of C=O stretch assigned to acetyl groups centered at

1730 cm-1 [22] and the presence of protein amide groups –CONH– centered in a peak at

1640 cm-1 [23].

Comparison of intensities of the peak at 3293 cm-1 (O-H stretch of water) showed the

order CKG > KF55 > KF75 in agreement with the moisture levels reported in Table 1.

This also means that the higher the intensity of the peak at 1640 cm-1 demonstrates that

the protein content (amide I peak) is higher in KF55 than the two other samples.

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Furthermore, the protein content in KF75 is higher than in CKG because the spectra have

similar intensities at 1640 cm-1, but the water content in KF75 is lower, and the H-O-H
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bending will contribute less to this peak. Also, the higher peak intensity at 1730 cm-1
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demonstrated the higher amount of acetyl groups in the CKG samples.
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In Figure 3 the 13C CP/MAS and SP/MAS NMR spectra of dry and hydrated powders
13
of the three samples are displayed. By the C CP/MAS NMR spectra, the immobile
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13
regions of the sample are observed, whereas all carbon sites are detected by the C
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SP/MAS NMR spectra. For the dry powders, no differences between these two types of
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13
spectra were seen, and only the C CP/MAS spectra were included for these samples.
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This also means that none or very low amounts of lipids were present in the samples in

accordance with the data in Table 1. In figure 3A the spectral region -25 to 225 ppm is

shown for all the samples. It is noted that the most intense resonances were present in the

spectral region 50 to 110 ppm where the carbon resonances are observed. Besides these

low-intensity resonances from aliphatic carbons in the region 10-50 ppm and carbonyl

carbons in the range 165-190 ppm were observed. These are due to minor contents of

protein in the sample and it is noted that the amount of carbonyl carbons were observed

in the order KF55 > KF75 > CKG in accordance with the protein content in Table 1. A
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narrow resonance ~ 21 ppm is tentatively assigned to acetate. In the spectra of the

hydrated powders, only resonances originating from the glucomannans were observed in

the 13C CP/MAS spectra, whereas both glucomannans and protein were detected in the
13
C SP/MAS spectra, showing that the proteins in these samples are water soluble.

In Figure 3B only the spectral range 40-120 ppm of the spectra in Figure 3A are

displayed in order to focus on the glucomannans. It was noted that the addition of water

increased the spectral resolution as previously reported [24]. This enabled distinct

resonances for the anomeric carbons in glucose (G1) and mannose (M1) that only partially

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overlapped and therefore allowed for the determination of the M1:G1 ratio in the

glucomannans. For KF75 the ratio between the two monomer units was close to 1.6:1 as
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expected from previous studies [4], whereas it was lower (1.4:1) for KF55 and even lower
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(1.2:1) for the CKG samples. The different ratios reflect the impact of purification and
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indicate that the more comprehensive processing induced a slight reduction in the

mannose content. As noted previously, only resonances from glucomannans were

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13
observed in the C CP/MAS spectra of the hydrated samples, whereas additional
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resonances originating from water soluble carbohydrates and proteins were observed in
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the 13C SP/MAS spectra. In particular, the KF75 sample contained other carbohydrates
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such as sucrose, glucose and acetylated mannose which is in accordance with

observations in other works [21]. The fact that these compounds are very easy to hydrate

and present in low amounts means that these will not have significant effect on the

functional properties. Previous findings [25] have shown that the degree of acetylation is

important for glucomannan’s interactions with water. Minor amounts of glucose and

acetylated mannose were also detected in the KF55 sample, whereas only acetylated

mannose was detected besides glucomannans in the CKG sample. In all samples, 4-5 %
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of the mannose residues were acetylated as determined by the 13C CP/MAS NMR spectra

of the powders.

Several studies have been done to find techniques to purify konjac flour [9,26]. Thus,

those studies had found different characteristics of purified konjac flour. The method

based on simple centrifugation process using 35 °C and 75 °C presented 0.42 % of ash

and 0.17 % of protein, 0.39 % of ash and 0.09 % of protein, respectively [9]. The use of

dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for purification showed a reduction of impurities like starch,

soluble sugars and protein resulting in minimum 2.37 % of ash and 0.07 % of protein

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[27]. Not only soil and environment systems may change konjac glucomannan, but the

methods for purification and extractions can play a role in different physicochemical

characteristics.
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Polysaccharides chains can form a porous matrix structure, due to its capacity of
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holding a large amount of water through hydrogen bonding [28]. The high water holding

capacity of konjac glucomannan is due to the ability of the hydroxyl groups to form strong
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hydrogen bonds with water and promote specific water containing molecular structures.
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However, blocking the hydroxyl groups may reduce the water holding [29,30].
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Furthermore, the presence of protein in KF55 and KF75 (Table 1) can interfere with the
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hydrophilic or hydrophobic behavior.

3.2 Rheological characteristics

The rheological properties of CKG, KF55, and KF75 were evaluated in order to

understand how the composition and the molecular structure can affect rheological

behavior. It has been reported that acetylation degree, temperature, and polymer

concentration, as well as presence of impurities, can significantly affect the rheological

characteristics of aqueous glucomannan solutions [21,25].

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In Table 2 the Powder Law parameters (the consistency coefficient, K, and the flow

behavior index, n) and the crossover frequency of G' and Gʺ for the three samples are

presented. CKG showed lower consistency coefficient (K) compared to the KF samples.

For all samples, a non-Newtonian shear-thinning (pseudoplastic) behavior (n < 1) was

observed when viscosity remained constant at the high shear rate. The same pseudoplastic

behavior was previously reported for Konjac Glucomannan gum [31], Aloe extract and

the polysaccharide fraction extracted from the leaves pulp of Aloe barbadensis Miller that

containing glucomannan [21] and for purified konjac flours from Amorphophallus

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guripingensis and Amorphophallus rivirei [7]. This behavior can be explained by that

shear force disturbed the polysaccharides' entangled molecule networks, and then
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molecular chains were rearranged and aligned resulting in the unchanged viscosity [7,31–
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33].
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However, it was noted that CKG had a higher n value, suggesting a less pseudoplastic

behavior. Figure 4 shows the storage (G') and loss (Gʺ) moduli represent the relative
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degrees of the elastic and viscous behavior of viscoelastic materials respectively. When
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G'> Gʺ, the sample exhibits elastic (gel) properties, and when the reverse applies (G´<
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Gʺ), it has viscous properties. In this study, Gʺ > G' for all samples indicating viscous
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properties. Konjac flours showed stronger structure compared to CKG with a decrease in

the gelation point (G'= Gʺ), which might be due to the higher degree of acetylation degree

[25]. Likewise, the higher amount of protein in the konjac flours might affect the structure

of the gel after rehydration.

4. Conclusions

In this study, konjac flours prepared by a simplified process were compared to a

purified commercial grade konjac glucomannan. Our results show that commercial
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konjac glucomannan presented higher water holding and water retention capacities, while

swelling capacities were equal. All samples showed the presence of water-soluble

proteins, with a significantly lower amount in the commercial sample due to purification.

Likewise, when in aqueous solution the flow index (Power Law fitting parameter) of

CKG were significantly higher. FTIR and solid-state NMR spectroscopies were able to

identify differences in chemical feature regarding composition and indicate the presence

of other carbohydrates in the konjac flours. The Man:Glc ratio between the two monomer

units (D-mannose and D-glucose) was determined to be 1.6:1 in KF75, 1.4:1 for KF55

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and 1.2:1 for CKG, respectively, indicating a indicating a slightly higher Man:Glc ratio

in the glucomannans of the KF samples. Even though the powders from konjac flours
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contained significantly lower amount of moisture than the purified commercial powder,
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they represent a good source of glucomannan with adequate hydration properties and
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viscosity profiles. Thereby the KF samples might be a less expensive alternative to the

commercial CKG in food formulations without significantly compromising the desired

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functionality.
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Furthermore, specific applications focusing on the optimal use of konjac flours in

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complex food systems may provide a more detailed picture of their functionality and
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interaction with other food components. Such investigations are underway in our

laboratories and will be communicated in due course.

Acknowledgements

We thank the Coordination for the Improvement of High Education Personnel

(CAPES) Foundation for their financial support.

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Figure Captions
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Figure 1. Scanning electron micrographs ok KGM-based powders A: commercial konjac

glucomannan (CKG), B: konjac flour dried at 55 °C(KF55) and C: konjac flour dried at
75 °C (KF75) 100x, Bar = 100 µm.

Figure 2. FTIR spectra of KGM-bases powders. Commercial konjac glucomannan

(CKG), konjac flour dried at 55 ºC (KF55) and konjac flour dried at 75 ºC (KF75).

Figure 3. Solid-state 13C CP/MAS and SP/MAS NMR spectra of glucomannans as dry
and hydrated (60 %) powders. Lower row: KF55, Middle row: KF75 and Upper ros:
CKG. Part A shows the full spectra (-25 to 225 ppm), whereas part B focus on the spectral
region 40-120 ppm only. Assignments in the full spectra: C1-C6 relates to glucose and
mannose in the glucomannan powders. In the zoomed spectra (40-120 ppm) M1 and G1
relates to C1 in mannose and glucose, respectively. S relates to sucrose, acM to acetylated
mannose residues, aG and bG to α-glucose and β-glucose,respectively.
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Figure 4. Storage modulus G´ loss modulus (A) and loss modulus Gʺ (B) of KGM-based
powders. CKG: commercial konjac glucomannan, KF55: konjac flour dried at 55 ºC and
KF75: konjac flour dried at 75 ºC at 0.5% aqueous solutions during frequency sweep test
(0 - 10 Hz).

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Table 1. Chemical composition, pH and rehydration properties of Konjac

glucomannan–based powders

KGM-based powders
CKG KF55 KF75 S.E.
Protein (%) 5.41b 8.35 a
6.83b 0.36
Fat (%) nd nd nd nd
Ash (%) 3.89b 4.64 a
4.14a 0.19
Carbohydrates (%) 78.37c 80.35 b
84.37a 2.60
Moisture (%) 12.33a 6.66b 4.66b 0.50
pH 4.89c 6.14 a
6.00b 0.01
Lightness (L) 71.95b 85.91a 86.46a 0.51
WHC (g/g) 14.88a 11.55 b
11.75b 0.70

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WRC (g/g) 18.14a 12.19b 11.52b 0.72

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SC (mL/ g) 54.84a 51.51a 54.94a 1.92

CKG: commercial konjac glucomannan powder

KF55: konjac flour dried at 55 °C
KF75: konjac flour dried at 75 °C
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WHC: water holding capacity
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WRC: water retention capacity
SC: swelling capacity
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S.E.: standard error

Means within a row with different superscripts are significantly different (p≤ 0.05).
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Table 2. Power law parameters and crossover frequency of G' and Gʺ of konjac
glucomannan-based powder in 0.5 % (w/w) solution.
Power Law parameters Crossover frequency

K (Pa.sn) n G'=G'' Hz
c a b
CKG 0.08±0.00 0.85±0.00 0.93±0.02 7.9±0.0a
KF55 0.27±0.07a 0.62±0.02b 1.0080.00a 5.0±0.0b
KF75 0.30±0.00a 0.59±0.00c 1.00±0.00a 5.0±0.0b
CKG: commercial konjac glucomannan powder
KF55: konjac flour dried at 55 °C
KF75: konjac flour dried at 75 °C
Means within a row with different superscripts are significantly different (p≤ 0.05).

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Highlights
 Konjac glucomannan is a hydrocolloid extracted from Amorphophallus konjac tuber
 13
C MAS NMR spectra indicated the presence of water-soluble proteins in KGM
powders
 The ratio between the D-mannose and D-glucose varied in KGM powders
 Lower rehydration properties were found for the konjac flours

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Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4