Monascus

Monascus colorants have been consumed for hundreds of years and are believed to be safe for human consumption. Tests with a series of microorganisms have demonstrated no mutagenicity. No toxicity was observed in rodents or in fertile chicken eggs. The yellow pigments have an LD50 for mice of 132mg/20g. No ADI is available.11 There has been some concern that some of the strains produced antibiotics which is obviously undesirable for a food colorant, but it is possible to choose strains of Monascus which do not produce antibiotics. 

A large number of reports describe the use of Monascus preparations in herbal medicines and food supplements. These include the suppression of tumor 

Monascin colorants are well entrenched in Asia, particularly China, Japan, and Taiwan and probably will continue to be an important product in view of then-long history. They are not allowed in the US and there seems to be little interest in them. Certainly, the situation illustrated by the Cholestin debate will have to be settled, probably by new legislation, before a commercial firm petitions to have Monascin colorants pemitted in the US. 

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Colorants Obtained from Fungi by Biotechnology Monascus.340... 

COLORANTS OBTAINED FROM FUNGI BY BIOTECHNOLOGY MONASCUS... 

Monascus pigments have been used in Asian countries for centuries as food colorants and spices and in traditional medicine. These pigments are produced by the fungi of Monascus genus cultivated on carbohydrate-rich substrates such as rice, wheat, com, potatoes, and soybeans. Three species of Monascus identified are pilosus. 

FIGURE 5.2.4 Chemical structures of some Monascus pigments. 

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. 

Jongrungruangchok, S. et ah, Azaphilone pigments from a yellow mutant of the fungusa Monascus kaoliang. Phytochemistry, 65, 2569, 2004. 

Campoy, S. et ah. Characterization of an hyperpigmenting mutant of Monascus purpureas IBl identification of two novel pigment chemical structures, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol, 70, 488, 2006. 

Wild, D., Toth, G., and Humpf, H.-U., New Monascus metabolite isolated from red yeast rice (Angkak, Red Koji), J. Agric. Food Chem., 50, 3999, 2002. 

Hajjaj, H. et ah. Production and identification of N-glucosylrubropunctamine and N-glucosyhnonascorubramine from Monascus ruber and occurrence of electron donor-acceptor complexes in these pigments, Appl Environ. Microbiol, 63, 2671, 1997. Jung, H. et ah. Color characteristics of Monascus pigments derived by fermentation with various amino acids, J. Agric. Food Chem., 51, 1302, 2003. 

Martinez, L. et al.. Comparative effect of red yeast rice Monascus purpureas), red beet root (Beta vulgaris) and betanin (E-162) on colour and consumer acceptability of fresh pork sausages packaged in a modified atmosphere, J. Sci. Food Agric., 86, 500, 2006. 

Monascus is cultivated on solid media in Asian countries to produce a red colorant named Anka and used as a food ingredient. A Chinese medical book on herbs published in the first century first mentioned the terms ang-kak and red mold rice. Red mold rice has been used as a food colorant or spice in cooking. In 1884, the French botanist Philippe van Thieghem isolated a purple mold on potato and linseed cakes and named it Monascus ruber. This ascomycete was so named because it has only one polyspored ascus. In 1895, Went isolated a mold from the red mold rice obtained from a market in Java, Indonesia. This fungus was named Monascus purpureus, after which several other species were isolated around the world. 

Monascus is often encountered in Oriental foods, especially in southern China, Japan, and southeast Asia. Currently, more than 50 patents have been issued in Japan, the United States, France, and Germany concerning the use of Monascus pigments... 

The genus Monascus is divided into three species pilosus, purpureus and ruber that comprise the majority of strains isolated mainly in Oriental foods. 

The main metabohtes produced by Monascus are polyketides formed by the condensation of one acetylcoA with one or more malonylcoAs with a simultaneous decarboxylation as in the case of lipidic synthesis. They consist of the pigments, monacohns, and under certain conditions a mycotoxin. 

A series of hypocholesteremic agents were isolated from Monascus and named monacolin J, K, and L. These polyketides were first isolated from cultures of Penicillium citrinum and they can inhibit specifically the enzyme controlling the rate of cholesterol biosynthesis. They are currently used in China in traditional and modem medicine. 

Antibacterial properties of Monascus were first mentioned by Wong and Bau in 1977. The so-called monascidin A was effective against Bacillus, Streptococcus and... 

Pseudomonas. It was shown that this molecule was citrinin and its production by various Monascus species was smdied using different culture media and conditions. 

The classical Chinese method consists of inoculating steamed rice grains spread on big trays with a strain of Monascus anka and incubating in an aerated and temperature-controlled room for 20 days. In these types of cultures, moisture content, oxygen, and carbon dioxide levels in the gas environment, as well as cereal medium composition, are the most important parameters to conhol. 

In order to identify chemically the so-caUed monascidin A discussed by some Chinese scientists in their papers as a component suitable for the preservation of food, it was isolated and chemical investigations using mass spectrometry and NMR were undertaken. Monascidin A was characterized as citrinin which is known to be a mycotoxin responsible for nephropathies. Thus, in order to avoid the production of this toxin, various strains were screened in order to see whether all were toxino-genic and it was shown that among the species of Monascus available in pubhc collections, non-toxinogenic strains were obtainable. 

Bermejo, R. et ah. Expanded bed adsorption chromatography for recovery of phyco-cyanins from the microalga Spirulina platensis, Chromatographia, 63, 59, 2006. Thieghem, (van) R, Monascus, genre nouveau de I ordre des ascomycfetes. Bull. Soc. Bot. France, 31, 226, 1884. 

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