It is a food recommended for recovering from the excesses of the end-of-year holidays and for a healthy start to 2024. Still little known to the general public, konjac has, for around ten years, been popular in Europe and the United States for its dietary virtues. People following a diet, but also those subject to cholesterol or constipation problems, are particularly attracted to this ancient plant native to Southeast Asia. Its roots are in fact extremely rich in fiber, very low in calories and also constitute a natural appetite suppressant.
However, konjac, of which there are more than a hundred varieties, normally only grows on the Asian continent, particularly in China where it is increasingly produced and transformed into powder (capsules, etc.) and food products ( pasta…). But things are changing. Nhung Nguyen-Deroche, a French-Vietnamese doctor in plant biology, has indeed undertaken to grow it in France. An experimental farm was created in the Angers region (Maine-et-Loire) and the first real harvest has only just taken place.
“It took longer than I thought.”
“Importing konjac into Europe represents a high ecological cost, especially when we know that it contains 97% water. So that means bringing water and plastic packaging in containers over a distance of 20,000 km; that doesn’t make sense. Importation also poses supply and traceability problems. I told myself that we had to find an alternative,” says Nhung Nguyen-Deroche, who embarked on the adventure in 2016 before creating the brand France Konjac.
It was first necessary to select the right variety capable of adapting to the French climate and providing yield. No easy feat, especially since konjac, which grows in the ground like a potato, is only harvested after a three-year cycle. “It took longer than I thought. I tested many plants, experienced many failures, and ended up finding a hybrid variety that was satisfactory. Last year, we lost almost everything due to drought. But, this year, things went better,” says the entrepreneur. Around fifteen tonnes were collected in December.
The white-fleshed tubers will then be reduced to flour, which will serve as a basis for making noodles, tagliatelle and ready-to-eat grains. “It’s very encouraging, the lights are green, even if it is still necessary to improve cultivation techniques, whether in terms of irrigation, mechanization or even shading,” observes Gildas Allais, development advisor.
“Introduce it into French eating habits”
In 2024, France Konjac’s objective will be to release around thirty tonnes. Then to significantly increase volumes by joining forces with other growers. “Konjac develops rhizomes and can double its surface area each year. It can go very quickly,” says Nhung Nguyen-Deroche. France imports nearly a thousand tonnes of already processed konjac per year. “World demand is growing, the potential is significant, but if we already manage to replace half of French imports with French konjac that will already be very good,” considers the manager whose model is that of quinoa, a southern cereal. -American grown in France, especially in Anjoufor ten years.
While waiting for the harvest to continue, France Konjac brings konjac flour from Japan which she transforms and cooks on site in his workshop in Maine-et-Loire. “Our clientele is, for the moment, rather female,” says Nhung Nguyen-Deroche. But our goal is to democratize konjac to introduce it into the eating habits of the French. Taste-wise, it is quite neutral on the palate. The main interest is in its nutritional benefits. We associate it too much with diets even though it is a superfood for everyday life. » Other outlets can be considered in the long term, such as konjac sponges for the face, which are already very trendy.