Salep Glucomannan: Properties and Applications

Abstract

Salep powder is produced from tubers of the Orchidaceae family and has attracted tremendous research interest over the last few decades, due to its unique functional features and nutritional value in food and medical formulations. Glucomannan is the major constituent of the salep powder. It is widely utilized as a thickener and stabilizer in traditional beverage and hard serve ice cream due to the characteristic taste and flavor. Culturing salep tubers with high yield in farm conditions is a promising development for the commercial and cheaper production of salep. The purification process for the removal of the impurities (starch, protein, and ash) prominently enhances the viscoelastic behavior of salep due to more regular and organized structure formation. Deacetylation of purified glucomannan and combination with xanthan lead to the formation of three-dimensional thermo-stable strong gel networks. Furthermore, salep can be employed for the fabrication of ecofriendly active packaging systems and coating applications. Salep also can be modified by graft copolymerization for biomedical applications due to its high water storage capacity. A higher antioxidant and probiotic activity of salep are available by glucomannan depolymerization. This chapter focuses on production, processing, composition, properties, food applications and health benefits of salep.