• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.493-498
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• 2006

The optimal culture conditions of Monascus purpureus MMK2 for production of red pigment were investigated in submerged culture. Monascus purpureus MMK2 showed a maximal production of red pigment in the medium containing of 3.0% wheat flour, $0.15%\;NaNO_3,\;0.25%\;Na_2HPO_4\;12H_2O$ and $0.15%\;MgSO_4\;7H_2O$. The optimal culture conditions of temperature and initial pH were $30^{\circ}C$ and 6.5, respectively. The red pigment production reached to a maximal level at 7th day of cultivation.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.327-334
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• 2018

Monascus is a source of food colorant with high productivity of the pigment azaphilone. Monascus azaphilone (MAz) is biosynthesized through a single non-reducing polyketide pathway, the major components of which are ankaflavin (1), monascin (2), rubropunctatin (3) and monascorubrin (4); valuable biological activities have been reported for these compounds. Thus, various culture conditions were explored to reduce the cost of culture ingredients, enhance productivity and modulate compound composition. In the present study, we examined an extractive fermentation (EF) method with Diaion HP-20 resin (HP20) in direct comparison to a previously explored method involving Triton X-100 (TX100) to explore the modulated production of the major MAzs. We employed wild-type Monascus purpureus as well as two derivative recombinant strains (${\Delta}mppG$ and ${\Delta}mppE$) that are known to have differential MAz profiles as that of the wild-type strain. The HP20 resin was capable of modulating the MAz profile in favor of orange MAzs 3 and 4, oxidized congeners in this class, as was TX100-a phenomenon not previously observed for TX100 EF with Monascus anka. These finding substantiate that HP20 can be employed for the selective production of oxidized MAz and for diversifying the culture conditions used for Az production.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.76-81
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• 2008

Currently, natural food colorants and preservatives are being used for their general health benefits. Monascus koji, the product of certain fungi that grow on rice grains, has been added to many foods for coloring and preservation. In this study, the antimicrobial activities of Monascus koji ethanol extracts were investigated. Six Monascus strains (M. araneosus KFRI 00371, M. kaoliang ATCC 46597, M. pilosus IFO 4520, M. purpureus IFO 4482, M. ruber IFO 32318 and M. sp. ATCC 16437) were selected based on their relative intensity of red pigment. Two Monascus extracts, M. kaoliang ATCC 46597 and M. purpureus IFO 4482, displayed antimicrobial activities against Bacillus subtilis, B. cereus, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhimurium in concentration-dependent manners. The two extracts showed their strongest antimicrobial activity against S. typhimurium, a cause of food poisoning. Therefore, these results suggest that Monascus koji could be used as a natural food colorant and preservative.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.321-324
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• 2000

The Effect of pH red pigment production by Monascus purpureus ATCC 16365 has been studied in pH-controlled batch fermenter culture. A maximum of yellow and red pigments were detected using UV-Vis spectrophotometer at 385nm and 495nm, respectively. Fungal growth and pigment production were favoured at low pH(pH 4.0-5.5). Especially extracellular formation rate of orange to yellow pigment was decreased compared with that of orange to red pigment at pH 7.0. In addition, the enhancement of ratio of extracellular to intracellular pigment and the red pigment production in pH 7.0-controlled batch fermenter was observed. However, the pH 7.0-controlled batch cultures depressed the total production of pigments. The pH change from 4.0 to 7.0 during batch fermenter cultivations sharply increased both red pigment production and the extracellular composition.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.1047-1052
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• 2001

The pigment content in meju fermented by a Monascus species with different materials was studied. The relations between growth of M. pilosus and pigment production were positive and the correlation coefficient associated with this relationship was determined to be : r = 0.9879. Pigments produced by M. purpureus and M. pilosus were composed of 9 and 8 bands, respectively. One kind of them was yellowish, whereas the others were reddish. Total pigment levels in rice meju fermented by M. purpureus and M. pilosus were 335.25 and 1428.90$\mu\textrm{g}$/g, respectively. Pigment levels in the mejus fermented at 3$0^{\circ}C$ showed higher than those at 20 and 4$0^{\circ}C$. The order of pigment content in meju was polished rice > germinated brown rice > wheat > brown rice > waxy brown rice > germinated waxy brown rice. Pigment production by M. pilosus was higher than that of M. purpureus. Pigment content in rice meju prepared by adding 10% seed culture was highest, and pigment content of granulated rice was higher than that of powdered rice. Pigment production was not desirable in soybean meju fermented by seed culture, whereas the pigment levels in meju by adding 10% powdered rice and 10% powdered rice seed meju increased by 23.0 ~75.0 $\mu\textrm{g}$/g.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.123-127
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• 1996

The isolation and chemical characterization of yellow food pigments from Monascus purpureus were studied according to the compositions of media. Monacus yellow pigments were isolated and purified by solvent fractionation, silicagel column chromatography, TLC and HPLC. The retention time of Monascus yellow pigments isolated by HPLC was respectively 5 min(I) and 9 min(II) as the yeast malt extract agar(YMA) media and was respectively 4.6 min(III), 5 min(I) 5.7 min(IV), 8.3 min(V), 9 min(II) and 10.7 min(Ⅵ) at the malt extract agar(MEA) media. The structure of monascin(I), ankaflavin(II), 6,11-dihydrorubropunctatin(III), 6,11-dihydromonascorubrin(V) and unknown compounds(IV,Ⅵ) was elucidated by EI-Mass, H and C NMR, UV-visible spectrometer. Therefore, it was suggested that 6,11-dihydrorubropunctatin(III) and 6,11-dihydromonascorubrin(V) are new intermediates of Monascus yellow pigments.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.897-904
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• 2019

Monascus purpureus recombinant mppC and mpp7 knockout strains were subjected to extractive fermentation in the context of azaphilone pigment production. Inclusion of Diaion HP-20 resin resulted in the selective production of unreduced azaphilone congeners, in addition to the early intermediate FK17-P2a, from ${\Delta}mppC$ and ${\Delta}mpp7$ strains that would otherwise mainly produce reduced congeners. Structural determination of two novel unreduced azaphilones from the ${\Delta}mpp7$ strain was accomplished. The unreduced azaphilone compound was converted into the cognate reduced congener in recombinant M. purpureus strains, demonstrating its intermediate role in azaphilone biosynthesis. This study demonstrates the possibility that extractive fermentation with Diaion HP-20 resin can be used to obtain cryptic azaphilone metabolites.

• 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.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.21-25
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• 2002

To maximize and sustain the productivity of Monascus pigments, various environmental and nutritional parameters, such as the initial moisture content, pH, inoculum size, sample size, and nutrient supplement, that influence pigment production were evaluated in solid-state cultures as follows: initial moisture content, $50\%;$ pH, 6.0; inoculum size $1\;\times\;10^4$ spore cells $(grams\;of\;dry\;solid\;substrate)^{-1};$ sample size, 300 g. All supplementary nutrients (carbon, nitrogen, and mineral sources) added has inhibitory effects on the cell growth and red pigment production. In open tray culture the maximum biomass yield and specific productivity of red pigments were 223 mg DCW $(grams\;of\;initial\;dry\;substrate)^{-1}$ and, $47.6\;OD_{500}\;(DCW\;grams)^{-1}h^h{-1}$ respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.711-715
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• 2004

The stability of 80% ethanol-soluble pigments from Monasus purpureus CBS 281.34 was investigated according to storage temperature, pH and addition of organic acid. Also, the stability of ethanol-soluble pigment in aqueous system was examined after the addition of distilled water in the range of 0∼80% during the storage at 1$0^{\circ}C$ and 2$0^{\circ}C$ for 4 weeks with water soluble pigment. The heat stability was the highest (9.74%) when the 80% ethanol-soluble pigments were stored at 1$0^{\circ}C$ for 4 weeks. However, the 80% ethanol-soluble pigments stored at 6$0^{\circ}C$ and 8$0^{\circ}C$ for 24 h and 12 h greatly decreased by 23.06% and 30.36%, respectively. Although the 80% ethanol-soluble pigments were stable in the range of pH 4∼8, the degradation rate of pigment increased at pH 2 and PH 10.80% ethanol extract was adjusted to PH 4 by adding organic acids. The rate of pigment degradation was not different from control for 4 weeks. Red pigment was stable in the treatment of organic acids. And the stability of ethanol-soluble pigment in aqueous system was gradually decreased as the pigment content and storage time increased. Additionally, the stability of ethanol-soluble pigment was higher at 1$0^{\circ}C$ than at 2$0^{\circ}C$.