• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.451-456
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• 2007

The potential antioxidant activities of methanolic extracts from soybean and rice fermented with Monascus sp. were investigated. M. pilosus IFO 480 and M. anka IFO 478 were screened as a suitable strain to promote the antioxidant activities in soybean- and rice- fermentation. The methanol extracts from soybean and rice after fermenting for 20 days at $30^{\circ}C$ resulted in a significant increase in the antioxidant capacities expressed as radical (ABTS and DPPH) scavenging assay and peroxidation inhibition (%) by thiocyanate method and increased (p<0.01) by a 2.6 to 3.1-fold compared with those of the unfermented products. The average antioxidant potentials of Monascus-fermented soybean extracts (MFSE) were significantly (p<0.01) stronger than Monascus-fermented rice extracts (MFRE). A linear correlations between free radical scavenging activity of MFSE and the total phenolics content (r=0.84) and total flavonoids content (r=0.81) were observed. These results indicated that MFSE exhibited stronger (p<0.01) antioxidant activity and contained significantly higher levels (p<0.05) of phenolics than MFRE.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.959-965
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• 2013

Monascus species have been used to produce fermented rice called Monascus-fermented rice (MFR). To improve a Monascus strain via activation of secondary metabolite (SM) gene clusters for use in the production of MFR, we overexpressed an ortholog of the laeA gene, which encodes a global positive regulator of secondary metabolism under the control of the strong heterologous Aspergillus nidulans alcA promoter in Monascus pilosus. The OE::laeA transformant produced more SMs, including those not detected under uninduced conditions. MFR produced using the M. pilosus OE::laeA strain contained 4 times more monacolin K, a cholesterol-lowering agent, than MFR produced using the wild-type strain. In addition, pigment production was remarkably increased, and the antioxidant activity was increased as well. The results from this study suggest that Monascus species, which are important industrial fermentative fungi in Asia, can be improved for the production of functional foods by overexpressing the laeA gene.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.293-298
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• 2005

This study was investigated to examine the physicochemical properties of functional rice and the adaptable food processing of the added functional rice. The functional rice are Sanghwang rice, Agaricus rice(fermented with basidiomycota), Tochukaso rice, fermented with Monascus rubber rice. Fermented with Monascus rubber rice contains more crude protein, curde lipid, moisture, and total dietary fiber. The cross sectional shapes of the functional rice show polygon shapes, the starch granules of those rice are transformed. In sensory evaluation, fermented with Monascus rubber rice was showed the lowest values for glossness, color, flavor, sweetness, harshness, overall acceptability. The textural properties for those ratios were also affected by the period of storage. After 48 hours, the lowest hardness level was 30% Tochukaso rice addition, and the highest hardness level was 10% Sangwhang rice addition case. In 30% Sangwhang rice, and 30% tochukaso rice case gumminess values were decreased after 48 hours. But in 30% Sangwhang rice, and 30% Tochukaso rice case, the chewiness values decreased. This result suggest that the most suitable addition ratio for the rice cooking condition is 10% functional rice addition.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.405-411
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• 2001

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of rice powder m tile enzyme (protease, $\alpha$-amylase, $\beta$-amylase and glucoamylase) activities of soybean meju fermented by Monascus prepureus and Monascus pilosus. The activities of the enzyme in the rice meju and the soybean meju fermented by M. pilosus were higher than those by M. perpureus. Protease activity of powdered rice meju was higher than that of granular rice meju, while $\alpha$-amylase, $\beta$-amylase and glucoamylase activities were higher in granular rice meju. Protease activity in soybean meju fermented by adding of the cultured medium of Monascus strains(CMM) as a seed inocula were higher than those of the rice powder meju, while $\alpha$-amyulase, $\beta$-amylase and glucoamylase activiities were lower than those of soybean meju by CMM. The concentration of rice powder to show maximum protease activity in soybean meju was also 10% against steamed soybean. But $\alpha$-amylase activity of soybean medju by the CMM added 2% powdered rice showed lower but the activity increaed with an increase in powdered rice, whereas $\beta$-amylase and glucoamylase activiities decreased with an increase in powdered rice. Protease activity of soybean meju fermented by 10% rice meju fermented by M. pilo년 as a seed inocula was higher than that of the meju fermented by Aspergillus oryzae, whereas $\beta$-amylase and glucoamylase activities of the soybean meju showed less than 50%.

• 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 Life Science
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.352-358
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• 2020

Red yeast rice has been extensively used as a food and traditional medicine for thousands of years in Korea. Monascus produces many secondary metabolites during its growth, including pigments, monacolins, and γ-aminobutyric acid. Some metabolites, specifically monacolin K, γ-aminobutyric acid, and dimerumic acid, have been reported to lower cholesterol and blood pressure because of certain antioxidant effects. This study investigated the total phenolic content of ethanol extract from red yeast rice fermented with Monascus sp. BHN-MK and its anti-inflammatory effect on LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. To assess its anti-inflammatory effect, the inhibitory activity of the ethanol extract on LPS-induced NO production and expression levels of iNOS and COX-2 proteins in macrophage cells were measured. Its total polyphenol content was higher than that of ordinary non-fermented rice. Its NO production inhibition activity was comparable to that of the negative control group treated with LPS at a concentration of 400 ㎍/ml. Western blot revealed a significant decrease in the inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 protein expression at concentrations of 400 and 800 ㎍/ml, respectively. Red yeast rice ethanol extracts exerted the strongest anti-inflammatory effects. The results indicate that red yeast rice could be used as a functional cosmetic and anti-inflammatory material.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2016

In this study, we optimized fermentation conditions for the solid state fermentation of rice bran with Monascus pilosus KCCM60084, and the antioxidant activities were investigated. Optimal fermentation conditions were determined by the production of Monacolin K, a functional secondary metabolites with cholesterol lowering activity. The highest Monacolin K production were 2.88 mg/g observed on day 10 with 45% moisture content in the substrate when inoculated with 5% inoculum (w/w). Reducing power, iron chelating activity and $ABTS^+$ radical scavenging activity were significantly enhanced after fermentation by 60, 80, and 38% respectively. Furthermore, the content of total flavonoid were found to be increased by 4.58 fold. Based on these results, Monascus-fermented rice bran showed strong possibility to be used as a natural antioxidant agent due to its enhanced antioxidant activity.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.256-261
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• 2006

Soybeans were fermented with Monascus sp. to select strain with highest mevinolin production through solidstate fermentation. Monascus pilosus IFO 480 showed highest yield of 2.2 mg mevinolin per g dry weight without citrinin, toxic fungal secondary metabolite, as byproduct. Nutrient broth used for soybean fermentation with Monascus sp. was composed of 3.4 rice powder, 1.1 peptone, 2.6 glycine, 12.9 glucose, initial pH 6.0 (%, w/v). Mevinolin was present in fermentation substrate largely as hydroxy carboxylate form (open lactone, 91.8-96.8%), which is used as hypocholesterolemic agent. Production of mevinolin continued up to 50 days fermentation time at $30^{\circ}C$.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.167-173
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• 2014

Red yeast rice (RYR) is the product of fermented yeast by Monascus strains on rice, and has recently become a popular dietary supplement as a traditional food in Asia. RYR contains monacolin K substances known to inhibit cholesterol synthesis as efficiently as statin drugs. To determine the optimal rice cultivar for manufacturing RYR, 7 rice cultivars (Goami, Goami2, Sangjuchalbyeo, Seolgaeng, Saegyejinmi, Yeonghojinmi and Chilbo) were fermented using two Monascus strains (M. ruber KCTC6122 and KCCM60141 of M. ruber) in this study. The monacolin K content of Sangjuchalbyeo were 47.24 ppm on KCTC6122 cultures and 117.03 ppm on KCCM60141 cultures, respectively. Other cultivars, especially Goami and Goami2, which had less content of monacolin K could not seem to ferment normally because those didn't show red color. These results imply that Sangjuchalbyeo can be optimal rice cultivar as a commercial RYR which is well fermented rice and has high content of monacolin K.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.149-154
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• 2016

Cosmeceutical potentials of unpolished rice vinegars containing different amounts of Monascus-fermented soybean powder (soy-koji) were investigated. Four different vinegar types were prepared using 0, 10, 30, and 50% soy-koji addition. Soy-koji vinegar showed stronger cosmeceutical properties, in terms of tyrosinase and elastase inhibitory activities as well as antioxidant capacities, than unpolished rice vinegars (P<0.05). Bioactive effects of soy koji vinegar increased with increasing concentrations of total phenolics and isoflavone aglycones (P<0.05). Results indicate that unpolished rice vinegar supplemented with soy-koji can be an efficient strategy to improve bioactivities in vinegar with associated enhancement of cosmeceutical functionality.