Konjac, also known as konjac, is a perennial herb that grows in the mountains at an altitude of 200 to 2,500 meters. It is the general term for the genus Konjac of the Araceae family and belongs to the category of potato crops in cultivation science.

Konjac prefers shade but fears heat, moisture and waterlogging. The suitable temperature range is 20℃ to 30℃, with 25℃ being the most optimal. The appropriate relative humidity is 80% to 90%. Konjac has a cultivation and consumption history of over 2,000 years in China. The main production areas of konjac in China are located in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, the southwestern part of Shaanxi, and the southwestern and northwestern parts of Hubei Province, accounting for 60% of the global konjac output.

Konjac has long been known as "removing intestinal impurities" and has a long history in Chinese medicine. It was recorded in the "Supplementary Records of Famous Physicians" compiled around the end of the Han Dynasty, with a history of over 2,000 years. The earliest record of konjac consumption dates back to the Jin Dynasty, which is over 1,700 years ago.

Konjac contains glucomannan, starch, protein, ceramide, various vitamins and trace elements such as potassium, phosphorus and selenium. The economically valuable component is glucomannan. Konjac is a plant in nature that can extract a large amount of soluble dietary fiber. After purification, the purity of dietary fiber can reach over 90%.

The main component of konjac powder is glucomannan (KGM), which has a chemical structure composed of D-glucose and D-mannose residues with a molecular ratio of approximately 15:23 polymerized through β-1, 4 glycosidic bonds to form a high-molecular-weight heteropolysaccharide with a molecular weight ranging from 200,000 to 2,000,000 daltons.

Glucan, as a high-quality soluble plant polysaccharide dietary fiber, is known as "the best dietary fiber, without any doubt". Due to its excellent physical and chemical properties such as water retention, gelation, thickening, stability, film-forming, water absorption (with a water absorption ratio of up to 80-100 times), adhesion, and derivatization, It has extensive applications in fields such as 3D printing, pharmaceutical and medical care, beauty and skin care, polymer materials, building materials, sewage treatment, animal nutrition, health care, meal replacement for weight loss, pre-prepared catering, and plant-based meat.

Among the various animal gums, plant gums, microbial gums and chemically modified colloids currently permitted for use in China, konjac is the only hydrophilic colloid that is not used as an additive and has no scope of use or usage limit. On August 17, 2004, the state classified konjac as a common food for management.