Monascus pigment culture production

The main concern regarding the utilization of Monascus pigments relates to the production of the citrinin mycotoxin in Monascus cultures. Several methods for controlling the mycotoxin production were proposed, including selection of non-toxinogenic strains, control of citrinin biosynthesis, and modifications of culture conditions. Despite their wide and traditional food applications in Asian countries, Monascus pigments have not been approved for use in the United States or European Union. 

Krairak, S., Yamamura, K., Irie, R., Nakajima, M., Shimizu, H., Chim-Anage, P., Yongsmith, B., and Shioya, S. 2000. Maximizing yellow pigment production in fed-batch culture oi Monascus sp. /. Biosci. Bioeng. 90(4), 363-367. 

Yoshimura, M., Yamanada, S., Mitsugi, K., and Hirose, Y. 1975. Production of Monascus pigment in a submerged culture. Agric. Biol. Chem. 39,1789-1795. 

Hamdi, M., Blanc, P.J., and Goma, G., A new process for red pigment production by Monascus purpureus culture on prickly pear juice and the effect of partial oxygen pressure. Bioprocess Eng., 17, 75, 1995. 

Many secondary metabolites with complex chemical structures, including pigments (Figure 2) and monacolins (Figure 2), are synthesized from the polyketide pathway in Monascus spp. (Simpson, 1986). Several effectors controlling the polyketide synthesis of Monascus have been reported by using submerged culture systems (Lin, 1991). Considerable research has been conducted on the industrial production of Monascus in complex liquid media (Shepherd and Carels, 1983). 

Carels, M. and Shepherd, D. 1977. The effect of different nitrogen sources on pigment production and sporulation of Monascus species in submerged, shaken culture. Can. J. Microbiol. 23(10), 1360-1372. 

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