• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 2007

The optimal conditions for Monascus pigments production of Monascus sp. KM 1001, pigment overproducing mutant, in submerged culture was investigated. The optimal medium for the production of pigment from KM 1001 mutant is determined to be composed of 4% rice powder, 0.15% Bacto-peptone, 0.1% glycine, 0.01% $FeSO_{4}{\cdot}7H_{2}O,\;0.1%\;MgSO_{4}{\cdot}7H_{2}O,\;0.25%\;KH_{2}PO_{4},\;pH4.5$. On optimal conditions,10.0 g/L of the cell mass was obtained at $30^{\circ}C$ for 5 days. Yellow, orange and red pigment of Monascus sp. KM 1001 were produced 3.25 units, 1.59 units and 0.88 units in extracellular part, and 84.96 units, 78.84 units and 91.80 units in intracellular part, respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.48-51
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• 2000

In liquid cultures using sucrose media, the coculture of Monascus with recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing the glucoamylase gene from Aspergillus niger enhanced red pigment production by approx. 19％, compared with the coculture of wild type S. cerevisiae. Coculture with recombinant S. cerevisiae was more effective than with wild type S. cerevisiae for Monascus red pigment production. Cocultures of Monascus with commercial amylases of Aspergillus also induced high production of pigment and morphological changes in a solid culture using sucrose media.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2016

To enhance the physiological activities of roasted coffee (RC), 30 kinds of green coffee beans (GCB) with different cultivating areas and varieties were fermented with Monascus ruber mycelium (MR) by solid-state culture. After the dried MR-fermented GCB was subjected medium roasting, each RC was extracted with hot-water. Among the hot-water extracts, the highest yield was the hot-water extract of RC from MR-fermented Indonesia Mandheling GCB (15.5%). However, the hot-water extract of RC from MR-fermented Ethiopia Sidamo GCB showed significantly higher polyphenolic contents (3.08 mg GAE/100 mg) and ABTS free radical scavenging activity (25.41 mg AEAC/100 mg). Meanwhile, the hot-water extract of RC from MR-fermented Vietnam Robusta GCB showed not only the effective inhibition of $TNF-{\alpha}$ level (73.7% inhibition of LPS-stimulated control) from LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells but also significant inhibition of lipogenesis (63.5% inhibition of lipid differentiation control) in 3T3-L1 pre-adipose cells. In conclusion, these results suggest that roasted coffees from Ethiopia Sidamo and Vietnam Robusta green coffee beans fermented with Monascus ruber mycelium using solid-state culture could have industrial applications as functional coffee beverages.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.157-165
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• 2019

Di- and tri-methylation of lysine 4 on histone H3 (H3K4me2 and H3K4me3, respectively) are epigenetic markers of active genes. Complex associated with Set1 (COMPASS) mediates these H3K4 methylations. The involvement of COMPASS activity in secondary metabolite (SM) biosynthesis was first demonstrated with an Aspergillus nidulans cclA knockout mutant. The cclA knockout induced the transcription of two cryptic SM biosynthetic gene clusters, leading to the production of the cognate SM. Monascus spp. are filamentous fungi that have been used for food fermentation in eastern Asia, and the pigment Monascus azaphione (MAz) is their main SM. Monascus highly produces MAz, implying that the cognate biosynthetic genes are highly active in transcription. In the present study, we examined how COMPASS activity modulates MAz biosynthesis by inactivating Monascus purpureus cclA (Mp-cclA) and swd1 (Mp-swd1). For both ${\Delta}Mp-cclA$ and ${\Delta}Mp-swd1$, a reduction in MAz production, accompanied by an abated cell growth, was observed. Suppression of MAz production was more effective in an agar culture than in the submerged liquid culture. The fidelity of the ${\Delta}Mp-swd1$ phenotypes was verified by restoring the WT-like phenotypes in a reversion recombinant mutant, namely, trpCp: Mp-swd1, that was generated from the ${\Delta}Mp-swd1$ mutant. Real-time quantitative Polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that the transcription of MAz biosynthetic genes was repressed in the ${\Delta}Mp-swd1$ mutant. This study demonstrated that MAz biosynthesis is under the control of COMPASS activity and that the extent of this regulation is dependent on growth conditions.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.250-256
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• 2006

The optimum cultural conditions for production of Monascus natural pigment by Monascus purpureus MK2 were investigated in submerged culture. This strain was showed the maximum production of monascus natural pigment in the optimal medium of 3.0% wheat flour, 0.15% $NaNO_3$, 0.2% $K_{2}HPO_4$ and 0.05% $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_{2}O$, at pH 7.0. The maximum production of this pigment was achieved at $30^{\circ}C$ for 7 day cultivation under 130 rpm shaking. At optimal condition, Monascus purpureus MK2 produced 29.10, 36.84 and 48.92 units of yellow, orange and red pigment, respectively.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.271-277
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• 1995

Total 29 Monascus strains were isolated from Ang-Khak and 4 of them were selecte based on the relative intensity of soluble red pigment and growth rate. The optimum growth temperature of the selected isolates was 32.5$^{\circ}C$ on malt extract agar(MEZ) plate. The optimum growth pH was 5.0 on czapek yeast extract agar plate, while it was pH 6.2 or 6.5 on MEA plate. Isolate No. 116, especially, showed the strongest animicrobial activity aganist Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus but much less aganist Escherichia coli and Enterobacter aerogenes. The maximun antimicrobial activity of isolate No. 116 against St. aureus was achieved at initial pH 5.3 on rice extract broth. The acitivity was increased with increasing amount of culture broth concentrate of isolate No. 116.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.341-346
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• 2001

For the purpose of mass producing Monascus red pigments optimum medium composition and environmental conditions were investigated in submerged flask cultures. The optimum carbon and nitrogen sources were determined to be 30g/L of glucose and 1.5 g/L of monosodium glutamate (MSG). Of the three metals examined, Fe$\^$2+/ showed the strongest stimulatory effect on pigment production and some stimulatory effect was also found in Mn$\^$2+/. Optimum pH and agitation speed were determined to be 6.5 and 700 rpm, respectively. Under the optimum culture conditions batch fermentation showed that the maximum biomass yield and specific productivity of red pigments were 0.20 g DCW/g glucose and, 32.5 OD$\sub$500/g DCW$\^$-1/h$\^$-1/, respectively.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.120-127
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• 1991

Several isolates producing the red-pigment were isolated from the Korean and Brazi­lian soils. The pigment producton by the molds belongs to a genus Monascus was investigated under the submerged culture. Mutagenesis of Monascus sp. KS 2 as the highest pigment production by NTG was made to increase pigment production. This mutant was examined to produce red and yellow pigment with 2.4 and 1.6 times higher than the parental isolates, respectively. The optimal cultural conditions for the pigment production by this mutant were: pH 6.0 , temperature $30^{\circ}C$, rice powder 5%, and monosodium glutamate 0.15%.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.1055-1060
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• 2012

In order to produce Hongkuk-ju, the production and characterization of Hongkuk (Monascus red koji) by Monascus anka KCTC 6121 were investigated. The optimum cultural conditions for the production of enzyme (${\alpha}$-amylase and glucoamylase) and pigment (yellow and red) from this strain on solid culture (steamed rice) were examined. The results showed that the production of ${\alpha}$-amylase and glucoamylase reached the highest for 9 days and 8 days, respectively. Since then, the productions decreased slightly. The production of yellow and red pigments reached the highest for 8 days, decreasing slightly soon after. The optimal content of the initial moisture equally presented 30% in the enzyme and pigment production. After that, the enzyme production decreased slowly, whereas pigment production decreased sharply. The optimal temperature of the culture also showed $30^{\circ}C$ in the production of enzyme and pigment. It was found that the initial inoculum size in enzyme and pigment production was 10% and 20%, respectively. Under these optimal conditions, the production of monacolin K and citrinin was 74.35 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg for 12 days, respectively.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 1995

To investigate the mechanism for the main chain-elongation process and the possibility of putative precursors as stater units in the biosynthesis of the Monascus pigments, feeding experiments with possible $poly-{\beta}-ketide$ intermediates were carried out. Both crotonic acid and sorbic acid, especially in low concentrations, enhanced the pigment production while not increasing the dried mycelium weight appreciably. Also, it was observed that the feeding of sorbic acid and its ethyl ester was about two folds efficient in the pigment production than the feeding of crotonic acid and its ethyl ester. In addition to these acids, cinnamic acid and vinylacrylic acid were examined for their possibility as starter units. It was observed that the color of the culture fed with cinnamic acid was dominantly dark-red, but with overall decrease in the pigment production. Whey its ethyl ester was administered to the culture, however, the pigment production increased significantly. Also noted in 2D TLC study of the pigments was the increased production of red pigment and the formation of new red pigments.