Vegan. Konjac (E425) is made from the corm of the konjac plant, whose glucomannan fibre gels foods like shirataki noodles and konjac jelly, so it is vegan.
Konjac is a plant whose root fibre becomes shirataki noodles and wobbly jelly. Root to noodle, it is entirely plant-based.
Made fromKonjac plant corm (glucomannan)
E numberE425
VerdictVegan
Where it hides
Shirataki and konjac noodles
Konjac jelly and desserts
Vegan seafood alternatives
Fibre supplements
What it is
Konjac is an Asian plant grown for its starchy underground corm, which is rich in a gelling fibre called glucomannan.
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The viscous jelly derived from the dried corm contains a high proportion of glucomannan gum.
That glucomannan is what gives shirataki noodles their bite and konjac jelly its wobble, and it is increasingly used to build vegan seafood alternatives. Since it is all plant, konjac is vegan.
Agar (agar-agar, E406)Agar is the vegan answer to gelatin, a firm jelly set from seaweed. It has been doing this job in Asian kitchens for a very long time.
Alginate (algin, E401 to E404)Alginate is seaweed turned into a gelling powder, the trick behind those little juice pearls. It is plant-based from the tide up.
Carrageenan (E407)Carrageenan is a thickener pulled from red seaweed. It has its critics on other grounds, but the vegan question is not one of them.
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