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This issue is something of a bumper issue. We are greatly indebted to the Andi Johnson Konjac company for providing us with the detailed information on the manufacture and uses of konjac mannan. We have also included a review of the academic and patent literature on konjac, as you will see its relatively sparse compared to well studied gums such as xanthan or even gellan. Konjac has been used for years but is still a relative newcomer in many ways. It has only recently been accepted into the EU and still has a relatively undeveloped market. I believe that konjac has a good potential in markets traditionally held by LBG such as ice cream and cream cheese but these areas will be opened up by the home label producers and far sighted suppliers rather than the multinational food manufacturers who tend to be much more 'label change' conscious. Further information on konjac can be obtained from the Andi Johnson website at www.konjac.info.
You will also find inserted with your reviews details of how to access the CyberColloids web site (www.cybercolloids.net). The web site has been up and running for a couple of months and we think we have found all the major bugs, however if you get any problems or have any suggestions for the site then please e-mail them to info@cybercolloids.net. You should be able to access all the patents reviewed in all the magazines from a searchable database which will be updated regularly. The database actually is somewhat more extensive as it also includes the patents that we reviewed but decided not to include in the magazine. You can also download PDF versions of all the reviews which will include most of the photographs in full colour rather than the greyscale version you see in the printed review. We are also converting most ofthe articles to HTML to be accessible online and, over time, build up to an online library of information about the production and use of hydrocolloids. On the home page of the website you will see a place to enter your login name and password, these were included with this edition ofthe review on a separate sheet, this will then show you an extended menu with options for accessing the patents database and also for downloading allof the reviews as PDF's. If you don't have a password and feel you should then drop an e-mail to info@cybercolloids.net. Likewise if you experienceany problems or have any suggestions drop us an e-mail with the details.
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