Abstract: The change of KGM particle size in different alcohol concentration (φalcohol) was detected by using laser particle size analyzer, and the differences in rheological performance as well as the effect of alcohol inhibitor solvent on the structure of KGM were investigated. The results showed that the specific surface area of KGM increased with φalcoho, while the medium diameter, peak viscosity (ηmax) and swelling rate reduced, which implied that the concentration of alcohol inhibitor affects the performance of KGM. SEM, FT-IR and X-ray analysis showed that high concentration of alcohol could promote the hydrogen bonds among the molecules chains of KGM, producing a sequentially overlapped structure in part, which can be evidenced by its performance.

Key words: konjac glucomannan, alcohol /solution, solvent resistance, structure, performance