Study on the physiological and biochemical properties of monascus species produced by both liquid and solid fermentation methods

• Main Authors: Kai Ping Chen, 陳凱萍
• Other Authors: Ke Liang Bruce Chang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2006
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/23285585202410818425

碩士 === 國立臺灣海洋大學 === 食品科學系 === 94 === Abstract The genus Monascus is traditionally used in fermented foods and it has been applied in foods and pharmaceutics for thousands of years. In this study, the differences among sixteen Monascus strains on the ability of hydrolyzing starch, protein and cellulose were investigated. The strains, BCRC 31501, 31541 and M 3 can hydrolyze both starch and protein. The pigments production of BCRC 31501 was more than others in both the solid state and liquid fermentations. Moreover, the maximum production of monacolin K on solid state fermentation was achieved by strain M 2 with the highest amount of 286.2 ± 9.7 μg/ml in solid state fermentation and 136 ± 9.5 μg/ml in liquid fermentation. The content of citrinin is an index for the safety of Monascus products and the safety limit in Japan is set at 0.2 ppm. The content of citrinin in several strains, including BCRC 31499, 31541 and M3, were more than Japanese regulation limit. As a consequence fermentation products of those strains are inappropriate for food consumption. Among all the strains investigayed in this study, the amount of citrinin in BCRC 31499 was the highest, wherein the amount was 64.21 ppm. The antitumor activities were evaluated by MTT assay and the result indicates that Monascus strains could exhibit higher antitumor activities when they are cultured by solid-state fermentation.