Monascus is a food colorant (food pigment) that has been used for more than 1000 years in China and is still widely used. It is also the only natural food pigment produced by microbial fermentation in the world. Monascus contains many natural beneficial ingredients, such as Monacolin K, which can inhibit cholesterol synthesis, and unsaturated fatty acids that can help maintain healthy serum concentrations. However, it is also said that the metabolite Citrinin produced by Monascus is a carcinogen. So, which one is right? Ruan Guangfeng, director of the Science and Technology Communication Department and deputy research librarian of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center, told China Consumer News that the content of functional ingredients and citrinin in red koji is actually very low. Red koji in daily diet is neither as magical as some "popular science" propaganda nor carcinogenic to the body. At the same time, China's relevant national standards also set a limit on the amount of citrinin in monascus pigment, which can be safely eaten. Ruan Guangfeng introduced that monascus, also known as monascus red, monascus, and monascus rice, is a liquid culture medium made of rice and soybean as the main raw materials, which is cultivated by monascus liquid fermentation, then extracted, concentrated, and refined. It can also be obtained by using monascus rice as the raw material, through extraction, concentration, and refining. Red koji can give food a bright red color with good stability. It is naturally produced during fermentation, so it has been used as a natural pigment for a long time. Yogurt, sufu, jam, candy, pickles, biscuits, instant noodles, potato chips, beverages and other foods can be used appropriately according to production needs. Hongqu is often promoted as a healthy food. In 1979, the Japanese found an active substance from Monascus that can inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol, namely Monacolin K, and based on this, they developed the cholesterol lowering drug Lovastatin. Since then, scientists have found ergosterol (which can be converted into vitamin D in the body) γ- Aminobutyric acid and other active ingredients. Relevant scientific research has also confirmed that certain substances in monascus have certain anti-cancer, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and hypotensive functions. However, the content of these effective ingredients is not high, so whether it is a normal diet or a health food based on red yeast, it will not be as magical as some businesses claim. On the other hand, Monascus fermentation process may produce trace toxic substances, such as citrinin, which is nephrotoxic, carcinogenic and teratogenic to a certain extent. However, it should also be noted that the content of citrinin in monascus is also very low. At present, China's food industry has screened out excellent Monascus species that will not produce citrinin, and improved production technology to reduce the production of citrinin. At the same time, China's relevant national standards also set a limit for citrinin in monascus pigment. As long as the products containing red koji are purchased from formal channels, they can be eaten at ease. (Outlook New Times)
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Source：https://www.chinanews.com/life/2022/12-29/9923826.shtml
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