Yongqiang An

Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is a renewable polysaccharide with high hydration capacity, abundant hydroxyl groups, and tunable gelation, making it a versatile platform for hazardous-contaminant remediation. Chemical functionalization and hybridization with inorganic, porous, magnetic, photoactive, and photothermal phases have extended KGM systems from adsorption to selective ion capture, photo-assisted treatment, and solar-driven water purification. This review critically links KGM molecular structure and network architecture to contaminant speciation, interfacial interactions, mass transfer, and treatment performance, and assesses the evidentiary limits of fitted Langmuir capacities, pseudo-second-order kinetics, and FTIR/XPS assignments. Representative studies demonstrate strong potential for cationic-dye adsorption, uranium removal from carbonate-containing and real mine wastewater, and solar-driven evaporation. However, performance remains highly dependent on solution chemistry, material state, and experimental configuration. Future progress should move beyond record capacities toward quantitative structure–interaction–transport–fate relationships, discriminating mechanistic experiments, environmentally relevant concentrations, authentic-water validation, continuous-flow operation, contaminant-fate analysis, and process-level sustainability assessment.

Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is a plant-derived polysaccharide with a long history of food use and a rapidly expanding portfolio of biomedical applications. Yet despite decades of research, translation of KGM-based materials from laboratory proof-of-concept to clinical and commercial products remains slow, hampered by unresolved structural controversies, batch-to-batch variability, and a lack of quantitative design rules. This review provides a critical, mechanism-focused analysis of KGM across its molecular architecture, extraction and modification, and translational applications, moving beyond cataloguing uses to evaluate conflicting findings in the literature. We examine how hierarchical structural features—molecular weight, acetylation pattern, and chain topology—govern solution behavior, gelation, and biological performance, and compare KGM with competing biopolymers to define its unique advantages and inherent limitations. Current progress in colon-targeted delivery, wound healing, microbiome modulation, and metabolic health is synthesized, and persistent barriers to translation are evaluated, including the absence of quantitative structure–activity models, limited human pharmacokinetic data, and incomplete toxicological characterization of modified derivatives. We also address longstanding debates over branching frequency, acetylation distribution, and dose–response relationships that have generated inconsistent results across studies. Finally, we outline a research agenda integrating computational polymer design, multi-omics mechanistic studies, and precision nutrition to support development of next-generation KGM biomaterials.

In this study, 43 strains of Staphylococcus spp. and 22 strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), isolated from six representative fermented meat products (domestic and international), were subjected to a comprehensive safety evaluation, including hemolytic activity, catalase test, hydrogen sulfide production, and antibiotic susceptibility screening. Nine strains were selected for secondary screening based on safety criteria, fermentation characteristics, and acid and salt tolerance tests. Two optimal strains were identified—Staphylococcus saprophyticus LH-5 and Latilactobacillus sakei OFN-11—demonstrating excellent compatibility and no mutual antagonism. Both strains were non hemolytic, catalase positive, susceptible to some of the antibiotic tested, and did not produce hydrogen sulfide, mucus, or gas. These favorable fermentation characteristics included lipase/protease production, amino acid decarboxylase negativity, and salt and acid tolerance. Application experiments in fermented sausages were analyzed for 55 volatile compounds, related to meaty, fruity, and fatty aroma profiles compared to commercial starter cultures. The formulation including the selected strains exhibited lower acidity than its commercial unterparts while maintaining superior sensory and physicochemical attributes. These findings suggest that the S. saprophyticus LH-5 and L. sakei OFN-11 consortium holds promising potential as a starter culture for fermented meat products, offering technological advantages to become a fermentation agent that meets the preferences of Chinese consumers.