• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.826-833
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• 2001

The effects of Monascus koji on the fermentation and quality of mul-kimchi (CCK) were investigated. Monascus koji at a final concentration of 1% against total amounts of saline and salted Chinese was added to MK and CCK, respectively, and fermented at 1$0^{\circ}C$. The koji of MK and CCK had a little effect on pH and acidity. Antimicrobial effect of water extracts from Monascus koji showed at the concentration of 3% for L. brevis and 5% for L. acidophilus and L. bulgaricus, respectively. Whereas no effect was founded in the strains of L. plantrum, L. GG and Leuc. mesenteroides. It was possible to control the color of kimchi by using Monascus koji instead of red pepper. Especially, color acceptability of MK added the koji was greatly improved. The content of reducing sugar and the score of sweet taste were slightly increased in the kimchi added the koji, whereas no great difference in the crispness was found. Overall acceptability of CCK was not apparent, but that of MK was greatly enhanced. It is apparent that the inhibitions of HMG-CoA reductase in MK and CCK added 1% Monascus koji were 10~20 and 7~16%, respectively.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2007

The production of mevinolin, a potent hypocholesterolemic drug, and the bioconversion of isoflavones were investigated in soybeans fermented with Monascus pilosus KFRI-1140. The highest yields of 2.94 mg mevinolins and 1.13 mg isoflavone aglycones per g dry weight of soybean were obtained after 20 days of fermentation. Mevinolin was present in the fermentation substrate predominantly in the hydroxycarboxylate form (open lactone, 94.8$\sim$96.7%), which is currently being used as an hypocholesterolemic agent. The significant (p<0.01) bioconversion (96.6%) of the glucoside isoflavones (daidzin, glycitin, genistin) present in the soybean to the bioactive aglycones (daidzein, glycitein, genistein), with a 15.8-fold increase of aglycones was observed. The results suggest that Monascus-fermented soybean has potential as a novel medicinal food or multifunctional food supplement.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.78-84
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to optimize the solid state cultivation of Monascus ruber on sterile rice. A single-level-multiple-factor and a single-factor-multiple-level experimental design were employed to determine the optimal medium constituents and to optimize carbon and nitrogen source concentrations for lovastatin production. Simultaneous quantitative analyses of the ${\beta}$-hydroxyacid form and ${\beta}$-hydroxylactone for of lovastatin were performed by the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with a UV photodiode-array (PDA) detector. The total lovastatin yield ($4{\sim}6\;mg/g$, average of five repeats) was achieved by adding soybean powder, glycerol, sodium nitrate, and acetic acid at optimized levels after 14 days of fermentation. The maximal yield of lovastatin under the optimal composition of the medium increased by almost 2 times the yield observed prior to optimization. The experimental results also indicated that the ${\beta}$-hydroxylactone form of lovastatin (LFL) and the ${\beta}$-hydroxyacid form of lovastatin (AFL) simultaneously existed in solid state cultures of Monascus ruber. while the latter was the dominant form in the middle-late stage of continued fermentation. These results indicate that optimized culture conditions can be used for industrial production of lovastatin to obtain high yields.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.434-437
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• 2008

The aim of this study was to investigate whether Monascus-fermented soybean extracts (MFSE) containing natural estrogen-like compounds such as isoflavones and mevinolins has potential effects on human osteoblast-like SaOS2 cells using 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and alkaline phophatase (ALP) assaies. MFSE exerted biphasic dose-dependent effect; stimulating osteoblastic activity at low concentrations and inhibiting SaOS2 cells viability at high concentrations. At $10^{-8}-10^{-4}\;mg/mL$, MFSE is not only non-cytotoxic but also induced comparatively high ALP activity on SaOS2 cells. ALP activity (%) significantly increased (220.1%, p<0.05) when SaOS2 cells were treated with MFSE at a concentration of $10^{-5}\;mg/mL$, whereas slowly increased (185.6%, p<0.05) in unfermented soybean extracts (UFSE) at $10^{-3}\;mg/mL$. The potentially greater ALP activity of MFSE compared to the UFSE might partially be caused by its mevinolin, which was derived from the soybean during Monascus-fermentation. Our findings indicate that supplementation of MFSE may accelerate the speed of intracellular ALP synthesis by the bone cells when provided at optimal dosages.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.192-198
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• 2021

Red yeast rice has been extensively used as food and traditional medicine for thousands of years in East Asian countries. It is produced by the fermentation of a particular yeast (in general, Monascus purpureus) as rice and various cereals (barley, soybean, etc.). Monascus sp. produces many secondary metabolites during its growth, including pigments, monacolins, and γ-aminobutyric acid. Some metabolites―specifically, monacolin K, γ-aminobutyric acid, dimerumic acid, and monascus pigments―have been reported to lower cholesterol and blood pressure while showing anti-obesity effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity effect of ethanol extract from red yeast barley (RYB) fermented with Monascus sp. BHN-MK 2 on 3T3-L1 cells. The anti-obesity effects of RYB extract were examined: its lipid accumulation inhibitory effect was tested by Oil Red O staining, and obesity-related mRNA expression levels were tested by real-time RT-PCR in MDI stimulated 3T3-L1 cells. The intracellular lipid content of MDI-stimulated 3T3-L1 cells decreased significantly to 5.04%, 12.24%, and 23.52% in response to 200, 400, and 800 ㎍/ml RYB, respectively. Moreovers, we evaluated that RYB extract significantly downregulated the expression of C/EBPα, SREBP-1, and PPAR-γ gene in a dose-dependent manner. As a result, red yeast barley ethanol extracts exerted the strongest anti-obesity effects. Also, the results indicate that red yeast barley could be used as a functional anti-obesity food material.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.9
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• pp.1208-1213
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• 2008

The changes in the contents of GABA ($\gamma$-aminobutyric acid) and free amino acids (FAA) were analysed by HPLC in soybean fermented with Monascus pilosus IFO 480, which showed the highest GABA-producing ability among the five different strains. The significant increase (p<0.05) of GABA was observed in Monascusfermented soybean (MFS) with an average 4.5-fold increase of FAA. The contents of GABA (78.5 mg /100 g dry weight, dw) and FAA (5458.5 mg /100 g dw) were enhanced in MFS compared with unfermented soybean (31.5 mg /100 g dw, 1634.0 mg/100 g dw, respectively) during 30 days fermentation at $30^{\circ}C$. Acidic amino acids (i.e., glutamic acid and aspartic acid) in FAA files were found in large quantities (837.0 mg /100 g dw, 580.5 mg /100 g dw, respectively). Moreover, the sum of essential amino acids of MFS (1681.5 mg /100 g dw) at 20 days fermentation increased by 3.6 times compared with that of the control (469.0 mg /100 g dw). The results indicate that Monascus-fermentation have great potential for the enrichment of GABA and free amino acids in soybean.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.92-97
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• 1995

The monacolin retard in vivo synthesis of cholestrol. This study was conducted to select the best strain of Monascus sp. for monacolin production among 21 strains. In addition, research on suitable condition for mass production was conducted. Monascus pilosus M-15 was selected as the best strain for production of monacolin. The appropriate substrate for the monacolin production seem to be as follow : glycerin 5%, glucose 2%, corn steep liquor 0.5%, sodium nitrate 0.5% and length of fermentation was at $25^{\circ}C$ for 10~12days, respectively. The monacolin obtained from this organism was compared with standard monacolin using UV, IR, and GC/MS system and it was very close to the standard monacolin.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.919-929
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• 2017

This study investigated the biological activities and chemical characteristics of Monascus-fermented Angelica gigas Nakai (A. gigas) with a view to the development of health foods. We also investigated the effect of the cultivation region of three A. gigas cultivars, namely Sancheong, Pyeongchang, and Jecheon. After fermentation, the content of decursin and decursinol angelate was increased compared to non-fermentation; the highest content of decursin and decursinol angelate was found in non-fermentation Pyeongchang A. gigas (PA) at 615.504, 326.742 ppm and fermented Pyeongchang A. gigas (FPA) at 792.610, 429.500 ppm, respectively. The highest content of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and minerals was found in the FPA group, in which DPPH (${\alpha},{\alpha}^{\prime}-diphenyl-{\beta}-picrylhydrazyl$) radical scavenging activity and Fe/Cu reducing power were stronger in fermented than in non-fermented A. gigas. The FPA group in particular showed the highest activity. We measured nitric oxide (NO) production from lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 cells and the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. The inhibition of activity of NO production and cancer cell (MCF-7 and Hep3B) viability was significantly decreased in the FPA group. The results suggest that FPA may be highly useful as a health food. Overall, the study provides basic data for understanding the biological activities and chemical characteristics of A. gigas fermented by Monascus purpureus for the development of health foods.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2012

Green tea leaves were fermented for 15 and 30 days with Monascus pilosus which is known to produce functional statins (TMs), and the content of various biochemical constituents such as total polyphenol (TP), total flavonoid (TF), theaflavin, and thearubigin were analyzed and compared with that of non-fermented green tea (GT) and Pu-erh Chinese post-fermented tea (PU). In addition to the electron donating ability (EDA), ferric iron reducing power (FIRP), xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity, iron chelating activity (ICA) and hydrogen peroxide contents were also measured and compared with that of GT and PU. Content of TP and TF in the water and ethanol extracts in TMs were lower than those in GT and PU. Theaflavin and thearubigin contents of water and ethanol extracts in TMs were higher than those of GT. And, these components were increased depending on the period of fermentation. While, EDA and FIRP of TMs were lower than those of GT, XO inhibitory activity of TMs was higher than non-fermented tea. While, ICA of TMs was slightly higher than GT and PU, the content of hydrogen peroxide in TMs was markedly lower than GT. This results suggested that the green tea fermented by M. pilosus was valuable for oxidative stress-induced diseases by decreasing hydrogen peroxide, and forming theaflavins and thearubigins with functionality of genus Monascus.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.61-66
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to improve the palatability of kochujang. The activities of liquefying amylase and saccharogenic amylase in Monacus anka koji were lower than those in Asp. oryzae koji. The acid protease activity(1.4 units/g) in M. anka koji was also lower than that(1.6 units/g) in Asp. oryzae koji. Glucosamine amount in Asp. oryzae koji was 1075 g, and that in M. anka koji was 318 g. Four kinds of Kochujang were prepared with Asp. oryzae koji(A), M. anka koji(M), mixed koji of Asp. oryzae and M. anka(A＋M), and mixture of M. anka koji and malt(M＋M). The pH of four kinds of kochujang was 5.1 in the beginning and was between 4.70~4.83 after 120 days of fermentation. Reducing sugar of kochujang was between 16.3~20.7% after fermentation and kochujang prepared with M＋M showed the highest reducing sugar content. Amino nitrogen of kochujang was between 182 mg%~230 mg% after fermentation and the highest amino nitrogen content was observed at kochujang prepared with A＋M. Kochujang prepared with M and M＋M showed higher a value than kochujang prepared with A and A＋M.