Xylitol

Konjac gum is grown in India, China, Japan and Korea for its large starchy corms, used to create a flour and jelly of the same name. It is also used as a vegan substitute for gelatin.In Japanese cuisine, konjac (known as konnyaku) appears in dishes such as oden. It is typically mottled grey and firmer in consistency than most gelatins. It has very little taste; the common variety tastes vaguely like salt. It is valued more for its texture than flavor.

The dried corm of the konjac plant contains around 40% glucomannan gum. This polysaccharide makes konjac jelly highly viscous.Konjac has almost 0 calories but is very high in fiber. Thus, it is often used as a diet food.It can also be used for facial massage accessories which are currently popular in Korea as thickeners.

Unlike xanthan gum, guar gum or locust bean gum, konjac gum is the non-ionic type and therefore little influenced by the salt in the system. At ambient temperature, konjac gum remains stable without precipitation even if the pH drops to a level below 3.3. When konjac gum is used instead of locust bean gum as the stabilizer and added to ice cream, cheese and other dairy products, it will stabilize their quality by preventing the development of ice crystals.

In food additives. It can be used as gelling agent, thickening agent, stabilizing agent, floating agent and clarifying agent, and it can be used in products as soft candy, jelly, ham sausage, meat can, ice cream, beverage, condiment, milk, bionic food, jam, cake, beer, bread and pet food.

Other thickeners: Carrageenan   CMC    Pectin