The Untapped Benefit of Konjac
Locally in Indonesia, Konjac is known as Porang (Amorphopallus Muelleri). It is a plant that has been used for centuries in Asia as food and traditional medicine. It is categorized as a root vegetable that can be further processed as several types of food ingredients.
Konjac consists of a starchy corm and a tuber-like part of the stem. The corm is used to make a rich source of soluble dietary fibre known as Glucomannan. Glucomannan is a very important part of the porang processing as is a natural fibre that is emulsified and contains water molecules.
There are various benefits of Konjac as it is the perfect food additive because of its high fibre content. The soluble fibre helps lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels. A study found that Glucomannan helps prevents constipation. Adding Glucomannan to a low-fibre diet, also helps increased the amounts of probiotic bacteria. Konjac in itself may help lower total bad cholesterol and triglycerides.
Because of these various benefits, we at PT. Rezka Nayatama, want to make it accessible to more people in Asia and other parts of the world. Not only the effect of Konjac itself on health, but the location of our factory will also definitely create an impact on its environment and the people. The industry itself has a very big untapped prospect and by working with local farmers, focusing on both import and export of Konjac it will not only increase people’s livelihood through health advancement but both economic and social aspects too.
