Red Mold Rice Research Articles

The functional and nutritional properties of a novel Monascus fermented rice rich in resistant starch

Rice high in resistant starch (RS) showed great benefits in preventing diabetes. Red mold rice (RMR) is a traditionally functional food in China, preparing RMR with high-RS rice might produce a novel RMR with better nutrients and promote the utilization of high-RS rice in the food industry. R4 with the highest RS content was the most prone to be fermented by Monascus. After fermentation, the total starch and protein contents were significantly decreased, while the RS, lipid, free glucan, total free amino acids (FAAs), and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) contents were remarkably increased. Concurrently, the phenolic content and antioxidation activity were enhanced greatly. The individual phenolic acids such as ferulic acid showed significantly positive correlations with the antioxidant activity. Besides the abundant lipids, FAAs, GABA, and strong antioxidant capacity, fermented R4 had the highest ferulic acid content. This study provided alternatives for producing novel RMR and widened applications of high-RS rice in innovative functional foods.

Monascinol from Monascus pilosus-fermented rice exhibits hypolipidemic effects by regulating cholesterol and lipid metabolism

Monascinol (Msol), a novel yellow pigment produced in red mold rice (RMR) fermented by Monascus pilosus SWM-008, has a structure similar to monascin (MS), suggesting potential lipid-regulating properties. Therefore, this study investigated the hypolipidemic effects and mechanisms of Msol in a hyperlipidemic hamster model induced by a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet, comparing its efficacy to MS. The results demonstrated that Msol exerts a hypolipidemic effect by reducing the expression of fatty acid synthase (FASN) and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2) in the liver, while also increasing the excretion of triglycerides and bile acids in the feces of hyperlipidemic hamsters. Furthermore, we found that Msol surpasses the commonly observed red mold rice yellow pigment MS in AMPK phosphorylation. Additionally, Msol was more effective than MS in regulating triglyceride levels and alleviating inflammation. These findings position Msol as a promising new functional ingredient in RMR for hypolipidemic effects.

Investigation of monacolin K, yellow pigments, and citrinin production capabilities of Monascus purpureus and Monascus ruber (Monascus pilosus).

Red mold rice (RMR) is a traditional Chinese medicine prepared using Monascus fermentation. Monascus ruber ( pilosus) and Monascus purpureus have a long history of use as food and medicine. As an economically important starter culture, the relationship between the taxonomy of Monascus and production capabilities of secondary metabolites is crucial for the Monascus food industry. In this study, monacolin K, monascin, ankaflavin, and citrinin production by M. purpureus and M. ruber were genomically and chemically investigated. Our findings suggest that M. purpureus can produce monascin and ankaflavin in a correlated manner, whereas M. ruber produces monascin with minimum ankaflavin. M. purpureus is capable of producing citrinin; however, it is unlikely able to produce monacolin K. In contrast, M. ruber produces monacolin K, but not citrinin. We suggest that the current monacolin K content-related regulation of Monascus food should be revised, and labeling of Monascus species should be considered.

Ameliorative effects of monascin from red mold rice on alcoholic liver injury and intestinal microbiota dysbiosis in mice

Monascus-fermented red mold rice (RMR) has excellent physiological efficacy on lipid metabolism and liver function. This study investigated the ameliorative effects of monascin (MS) from RMR on alcoholic liver injury (ALI) in mice, and further illustrated its mechanism of action. Results indicated that dietary MS intervention obviously ameliorated lipid metabolism and liver function in mice with over-drinking. In addition, MS intervention alleviated alcohol-induced oxidative stress in the liver by reducing the hepatic activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and hepatic levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), increasing the hepatic activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and hepatic levels of glutathione (GSH). 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing showed that excessive drinking had a significant effect on the composition of the gut microbiota in mice. MS intervention was beneficial to ameliorate intestinal microbiota dysbiosis by elevating the proportion of Lactobacillus, Lachnospiraceae_UCG-006, Coriobacteriales, etc., but decreasing the proportion of Staphylococcus, Muribaculaceae, Desulfovibrionaceae, etc. Additionally, correlation analysis indicated that the key intestinal bacterial taxa intervened by MS were closely related to some biochemical indicators of lipid metabolism, liver function and oxidative stress. Moreover, liver metabolomics analysis revealed that dietary MS supplementation significantly regulated the levels of liver metabolites involved in taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, riboflavin metabolism, and purine metabolism, etc. Furthermore, MS intervention regulated gene transcription and protein expression associated with lipid metabolism and oxidative stress in the liver. In short, these findings suggest that MS mitigates alcohol-induced hepatic oxidative damage through modulating the intestinal microbiome and liver metabolic pathway, and thus can be served as a functional component to prevent alcoholic liver disease.

Monascuspiloin from Monascus-Fermented Red Mold Rice Alleviates Alcoholic Liver Injury and Modulates Intestinal Microbiota.

Monascus-fermented red mold rice (RMR) has excellent physiological efficacy on lipid metabolism and liver function. This study investigated the ameliorative effects of monascuspiloin (MP) from RMR on alcoholic liver injury in mice, and further clarified its mechanism of action. Results showed that MP intervention obviously ameliorated lipid metabolism and liver function in mice with over-drinking. In addition, dietary MP intervention reduced liver MDA levels and increased liver CAT, SOD, and GSH levels, thus alleviating liver oxidative stress induced by excessive drinking. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing showed that MP intervention was beneficial to ameliorate intestinal microbiota dysbiosis by elevating the proportion of norank_f_Lachnospiraceae, Lachnoclostridium, Alistipes, Roseburia, Vagococcus, etc., but decreasing the proportion of Staphylococcus, norank_f_Desulfovibrionaceae, Lachnospiraceae_UCG-001, Helicobacter, norank_f_Muribaculaceae, unclassified_f_Ruminococcaceae, etc. Additionally, correlation network analysis indicated that the key intestinal bacterial taxa intervened by MP were closely related to some biochemical parameters of lipid metabolism, liver function, and oxidative stress. Moreover, liver metabolomics analysis revealed that dietary MP supplementation significantly regulated the levels of 75 metabolites in the liver, which were involved in the synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies, taurine, and hypotaurine metabolism, and other metabolic pathways. Furthermore, dietary MP intervention regulated gene transcription and protein expression associated with hepatic lipid metabolism and oxidative stress. In short, these findings suggest that MP mitigates alcohol-induced liver injury by regulating the intestinal microbiome and liver metabolic pathway, and thus can serve as a functional component to prevent liver disease.

Historic and charming <italic>Monascus</italic> spp.

<p indent="0mm"><italic>Monascus</italic> species are well-known as fermentation strains in food and pharmaceutical industries in China. <italic>Monascus</italic> spp. have a long application history for more than <sc>2000 years.</sc> Red mold rice (RMR), also known as anka and Hongqu in China, is the fermented product of steamed rice inoculated with certain <italic>Monascus</italic> strains. Nowadays, RMR and its related products have been extensively applied in food and medicine industries. In these RMR products, <italic>Monascus</italic> strains produce two kinds of the most well-known secondary metabolites (SMs) <italic>Monascus</italic> pigments (MPs) and monacolin K (MK). MPs have been employed as natural food colorant in Southeast Asia over one thousand years. MK (also known as lovastatin), an anticholesterol compound, has been developed to be a hypolipidemic drug and food supplements. Today, RMR and its relative products mainly yielded in China are not only applied in Southeast Asia, but also exported to Europe and America. It is estimated that more than one billion people, around the world, eat RMR and other relative products in their daily life. Therefore, <italic>Monascus</italic> species are considered as one of the historic and charming fermentation strains in China. Theoretical researches and product development of <italic>Monascus</italic> strains have attracted wide attention and made fruitful scientific achievements, especially in recent <sc>30 years.</sc> In-depth studies regarding RMR have revealed that <italic>Monascus</italic> spp. not only produce beneficial SMs, MPs and MK, but also a mycotoxin citrinin (CIT). A substantial amount of researches has been successfully made to elucidate the biosynthetic pathways of these SMs and their regulation mechanism. These achievements not only serve as models of fungal SMs biosynthesis, but also provide a roadmap for metabolic engineering and synthetic biology towards the selective production of the more valuable components. Furthermore, <italic>Monascus</italic> spp. also are unique objects for researching fungal reproduction regulation and magnetic and/or light responses because <italic>Monascus</italic> spp. are found to be significantly different from the known filamentous fungi in these two fields. The progress on reproduction regulation of <italic>Monascus</italic> spp. revealed that the well-established conidiation central regulation in <italic>Aspergillus</italic> species is not applicable in their <italic>Monascus</italic> relatives. On the other hand, <italic>M</italic>.<italic> ruber</italic> M7 genome contains one red-light and two green-light receptors, but not any blue-light receptor ortholog is present in<italic> M</italic>.<italic> ruber </italic>M7 and other <italic>Monascus</italic> species, indicating a biologically significant difference between <italic>Monascus</italic> species and other filamentous fungi. Because of the unique reproduction mechanism, light and magnetic response and abundant SMs biosynthesis of <italic>Monascus</italic> spp., it is expected to enrich the theoretical understanding of filamentous fungi and even the biological world through further research on <italic>Monascus</italic> spp. Therefore, it demonstrates a great potential for developing <italic>Monascus</italic> spp. into a model microorganism. The key discussions and future prospects are also proposed from the aspects of faced challenge on <italic>Monascus</italic> spp. investigation and their products development.

Bioinformatics Analysis of LDLR Gene Mutation that Shed a New Light on Red Yeast Rice Monacolin K Treatment – Systematic Review

Background: Hypercholesteremia is the major cause of cardiovascular diseases. It results from elevated cholesterol levels in the blood. LDL cholesterol is removed from the circulation by using the LDL receptor. Red mold rice or red yeast rice is produced by fermentation of the Monascus Purpureus yeast on rice. Many researchers suggest that the active component in Red Yeast Rice (monacolin k) serves as a treatment for hypercholesteremic patients.&#x0D; Methods: By using NCBI databases, specifically GenBank to analyze DNA sequence and mRNA sequence of LDLR gene. GenBank file format was helpful to extract an accession number of the gene, number of amino acids, exons, and length of nucleotides. FASTA format was also useful to retrieve the nucleotide sequence and get the function of the protein. BLAST was used to compare the protein product of the LDLR gene between humans and pan paniscus (pygmy chimpanzee).&#x0D; Results: In accession number NC_000019, the number of amino acids in protein product is 44389 bp, and the number of exons found is 18. On the other hand, the gene is located in chromosome 19. The function of LDLR gene is to control the production of LDL receptor where the low-density lipoprotein particles attach to it and are taken into the cell ending up in the lysosome where the protein is degraded and cholesterol is made which will inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase that controls the production of cholesterol. Finally, many organisms have the same gene like dogs, cows, mice, rats, zebrafish, and frogs.&#x0D; Conclusion: Mutation in the LDLR gene causing high level of cholesterol in the blood especially LDL (Low-density Lipoprotein). Monacolin k that found in red yeast rice (RYR) is safe and natural alternative treatment for hypercholesteremic patients by lowering the cholesterol level in the blood.

Optimization of the hongqu starter preparation process for the manufacturing of red mold rice with high gamma-aminobutyric acid production by solid-state fermentation.

Red mold rice (RMR) generally contains gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which has several physiological functions. Monascus purpureus M162, with a high GABA production of 15.10 mg/g was generated by atmospheric and room temperature plasma mutation. Furthermore, we conducted a response surface methodology to produce a premium hongqu starter. The results revealed that under optimal conditions, that is, a substrate containing brown rice and bran in a brown rice: bran ratio of 9:1 (wt/wt), an inoculation size of 21.50 mL/100 g, a mixing frequency of one time/9 h, and a cultivation time of 7.20 days, the number of active spores, α-amylase activity, and saccharification power activity was 4.15 × 107 spores/g, 155 U/g, and 3260 U/g in the high-quality starter, respectively. These values were 224.32-fold, 139.64%, and 141.74% higher than those obtained with M. purpureus M162 inoculated into steamed indica rice, respectively, and 153.70-fold, 267.24%, and 151.63% higher than those obtained with the parent strain M. purpureus M1, respectively. The premium hongqu starter of M. purpureus M162 was inoculated into steamed indica rice to produce RMR with 15.93 mg/g of GABA. In conclusion, we proposed a novel strategy for functional RMR production with high GABA concentrations by solid-state fermentation with Monascus spp.

Inhibitory Effect of Water Soluble Fraction of Monascus-Fermented Rice on Lipid Accumulation in 3T3 L1 Adipocyte

Excessive lipid accumulation in the body causes people to become overweight and obese, conditions that are associated with an amplified risk of serious diseases. The fungi of genus Monascus produce various secondary metabolites such as monacolins, citrinin and fungal pigments, which are water-insoluble and have inhibitory potency for the lipid accumulation in adipocytes. However, water-soluble adipogenesis inhibitors derived from Monascus-fermented products have not yet been reported. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory activity against intracellular lipid accumulation of water-soluble fractions of Monascus-fermented red mold rice (RMR) and red mold barley (RMB) on murine 3T3-L1 cells. Water soluble fractions of ten different Monascus strains were used and the inhibitory activity of their water-soluble fractions on lipid accumulation by differentiated 3T3-L1 cells was evaluated for 8 days using oil red staining. The water-soluble fraction from Monascus pilosus NBRC4507 fermented RMR cultivated at 30C for 14 days was selected since it showed comparatively the lowest relative lipid accumulation (62±1.2%), which indicated the highest inhibitory activity of lipid accumulation in adipocytes. To study the presence of monacolin and citrinin in the water soluble fractions, thin-layer chromatography was done and the results showed that the water-soluble fractions tested were free from both monacolin and citrinin. Therefore, the present study strongly suggested that the water-soluble components, except for monacolin and citrinin, in the water soluble fraction obtained from Monascus pilosus NBRC4507-fermented rice can be used as functional food material to control overweight and obesity.

Citrinin Mycotoxin Contamination in Food and Feed: Impact on Agriculture, Human Health, and Detection and Management Strategies.

Citrinin (CIT) is a mycotoxin produced by different species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Monascus. CIT can contaminate a wide range of foods and feeds at any time during the pre-harvest, harvest, and post-harvest stages. CIT can be usually found in beans, fruits, fruit and vegetable juices, herbs and spices, and dairy products, as well as red mold rice. CIT exerts nephrotoxic and genotoxic effects in both humans and animals, thereby raising concerns regarding the consumption of CIT-contaminated food and feed. Hence, to minimize the risk of CIT contamination in food and feed, understanding the incidence of CIT occurrence, its sources, and biosynthetic pathways could assist in the effective implementation of detection and mitigation measures. Therefore, this review aims to shed light on sources of CIT, its prevalence in food and feed, biosynthetic pathways, and genes involved, with a major focus on detection and management strategies to ensure the safety and security of food and feed.

Toxicological evaluation of the red mold rice extract, ANKASCIN 568-R: 13-week chronic toxicity, and genotoxicity studies

ANKASCIN 568-R is an extract derived from red mold rice (RMR) fermented using Monascus purpureus NTU 568. RMR fermented using M. purpureus NTU 568 prevents cardiovascular diseases and decreases blood lipid levels. This study evaluates the safety of ANKASCIN 568-R, since it has not determined yet. After daily oral ANKASCIN 568-R for 13 consecutive weeks, we evaluated the toxicity tolerance of Sprague-Dawley rats and performed dose formulation analysis on monascin and ankaflavin. The dose formulation analysis showed that ANKASCIN 568-R concentrations were lower than the target concentration and out of range ( ± 15%) at week 8 and on the last dosing day for both monascin (all dose groups) and ankaflavin at the 100 mg/kg dose. The lowest reported concentrations for the low, middle, and high dose formulations were 34.7, 115.2, and 398.1 mg/mL, respectively. We also evaluated the genotoxicity of ANKASCIN 568-R and showed no genotoxicity potential at all ANKASCIN 568-R doses investigated. The no observed adverse effect level of ANKASCIN 568-R was determined to be 796.2 mg/kg/day. This study revealed the first toxicity evaluation data of ANKASICN 568-R, and the data demonstrated ANKASICN 568-R was safe and can be used in daily life.

Simultaneous detection of monacolins and citrinin of angkak produced by Monascus purpureus strains using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)

Angkak or red mold rice is produced from the fermentation of white rice using Monascus purpureus, which results in the red color of the fermented rice. Angkak has been used as a natural coloring agent for food, spices, and medicine. The active compound in angkak that contributes to lower blood cholesterol is known as monacolin (monacolin K). However, the presence of citrinin, the byproduct of angkak fermentation, needs to be considered as it can cause hepato-nephrotoxic mycotoxin. The contents of pigments, monacolins, and citrinin as secondary metabolites depends on the Monascus strain and fermentation conditions. This study aims to analyze simultaneously monacolins and citrinin in angkak produced by M. purpureus strains using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LCMS/MS). The angkak was prepared by fermentation using M. purpureus FNCC 6008 and M. purpureus JK2. A total of 107 M. purpureus spores/mL was inoculated into the rice. The fermentation was carried out at room temperature (25-30oC) for 14 days. The detection using LC-MS/MS showed that the monacolin K in angkak from both strains was below LOQ (&lt; limit of quantification). The analysis of citrinin content in angkak showed that JK2 strain produced lower citrinin (1.10±0.021µg/g) compared to FNCC 6008 (3.01±0.072 µg/g). The other monacolins found in angkak from both strains were including dehydromonacolin K, monacolin J (qualitative), and mevastatin. Based on t-test, the amount of both mevastatin and citrinin in angkak produced by two different strains were significantly different. In contrast, the amount of dehydromonacolin K in both angkak was comparable. The simultaneous detection result of LC-MS/MS could determine the choice of Monascus strains quickly. JK2 strain was considered as safe, thus it could be chosen to be applied to food products.

The cytotoxicity of cyclophosphamide is enhanced in combination with monascus pigment.

Monascus pigment is derived from red-mold rice fermented by monascus purpureus and utilized as a natural coloring agent and natural food additive in East Asia. Monascus pigment works as a radical scavenger. Some antioxidant combine cancer chemo­therapy to protect normal tissue because chemotherapy induce side effect for normal tissue. This combination therapy can attenuate the cytotoxicity of anti­cancer drugs by antioxidants effects. However, the effect of this combination therapy for cancer cells dose not investigate enough. In this study, we investigated the combination effect of anti­oxidants and anti­cancer drugs. We selected an anti­oxidant as monascus pigment and following four anti­cancer drugs: doxorubicin, tamoxifen, paclitaxicel, and cyclophosphamide. Combination treatment with monascus pigment and cyclophosphamide enhanced the cytotoxicity of cyclophosphamide. Moreover, this combination treatment accelerated apoptosis. The spot on TLC assay board of the monascus pigment and cyclophosphamide mixture is different from the spot of monascus pigment alone and cyclophosphamide alone. The interaction between monascus pigment and cyclo­phosphamide can produce some cytotoxicity compounds or accelerate intracellular cyclophosphamide accumulation. Hence, we concluded that the interaction of both cyclophosphamide and monascus pigment involved enhancement of cyclophosphamide cytotoxicity.

Perspectives on Functional Red Mold Rice: Functional Ingredients, Production, and Application.

Monacolin K (MK) is a secondary metabolite of the Monascus species that can inhibit cholesterol synthesis. Functional red mold rice (FRMR) is the fermentation product of Monascus spp., which is rich in MK. FRMR is usually employed to regulate serum cholesterol, especially for hypercholesterolemic patients who refuse statins or face statin intolerance. The present perspective summarized the bioactive components of FRMR and their functions. Subsequently, efficient strategies for FRMR production, future challenges of FRMR application, and possible directions were proposed. This perspective helps to understand the present situation and developmental prospects of FRMR.

Monascus purpureus M-32 improves growth performance, immune response, intestinal morphology, microbiota and disease resistance in Litopenaeus vannamei

Monascus purpureus M-32 was successfully isolated from the Chinese traditional food red mould rice, and its fermentation product was supplemented in the diet of Litopenaeus vannamei at different concentrations (T0: 0 g/kg; T1: 5 g/kg; T2: 10 g/kg and T3: 20 g/kg). After 8 weeks, the dietary administration of the M-32 fermentation product significantly decreased the FCR in groups T1 and T2 and significantly increased the SR in group T3 compared to those in the control (T0) (P < 0.05). The hepatopancreatic amylase (AMS) activity of group T2 was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The antioxidative activity was evaluated by determining GSH-Px, SOD and T-AOC activities and MDA levels, and the results indicated that supplementation with the M-32 fermentation product significantly improved GSH activity and reduced the MDA level (P < 0.05). The analysis of immune parameters showed that the activities of AKP and LYZ increased significantly in shrimp fed the M-32 fermentation product (P < 0.05). Intestinal histological observations demonstrated that M-32 could significantly improve the intestinal morphological structure, including measures such as villus height, villus width, and muscular thickness (P < 0.05). Microbiota analysis showed that the M-32 fermentation product modulated the intestinal microbial composition, and the relative abundance of Lactobacillus increased significantly in shrimp fed with M. purpureus. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis showed that the gut microbiota of groups T1, T2 and T3 was significantly different from that of the control group. Additionally, the supplementation of the M. purpureus fermentation product enhanced the resistance of the shrimp against V. parahaemolyticus infection. In conclusion, the use of M. purpureus strain M-32 as a feed additive was beneficial to L. vannamei by promoting growth performance, the immune response, intestinal health and disease resistance.

The traditional Chinese medicine, Monascus-fermented rice, prevents Zn deficiency-induced testis and sperms injury

Monascus purpureus is a fungus used in rice fermentation. Monascus-fermented rice is called red-mold rice (RMR) in Taiwan since the fermentation products contain a considerable amount of red pigments. The protective effects of RMR on oxidative stress in the testis and sperm were evaluated in this study. Zn deficiency was induced in rats by feeding them with a Zn-deficient diet for 12 weeks while the control rats were fed with a normal diet. The Zn-deficient rats were then divided into 6 groups, designated as Zn-deficient (ZD), Zn-compensated (ZC), 1R (151 mg RMR/kg), 5R (755 mg RMR/kg), 1R + ZC (1RZ), and 5R + ZC (5RZ). The animals were administered with the mentioned diet (RMR/Zn) for 8 weeks. In the ZD rats, no spermatid cell formation was observed in the seminiferous tubular epithelia, and testis necrosis/atrophy was apparent. However, 5R and 5RZ administration improved testicular antioxidant enzyme activity, elevated serum testosterone levels, and increased sperm number in ZD rats; this treatment also exhibited inhibitory effects on caspase activities and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in the ZD rats, suggesting that RMR attenuated ZD-induced oxidative stress and testis apoptosis. The preventive activity against ZD-induced reproductive damage was more apparent in the 1RZ and 5RZ groups than in the ZC group, suggesting that RMR can serve as a supplement in adjuvant therapy for diseases associated with Zn deficiency.

Increasing Health Benefit of Wild Yam (Dioscorea hispida) Tuber by Red Mold (Angkak) Fermentation

Detoxification of cyanogen is very important in cyanide containing tubers such as wild yam (Dioscorea hispida). Principally, cyanogen detoxification is by converting cyanogenic glycoside into acetone cyanohydrin and further converted into free HCN that is easily removed by heating or soaking. Conversion of cyanogenic glycoside into free HCN is catalyzed by beta glucosidase enzyme (linamarase) in linamarin deglycosilation and a- hydroxyinitril liase (HNL) in acetone cyanohydrin degradation into free HCN and acetone. Endogen linamarase is found in the tubers and exogenous linamarase might be from microbes. It is supposed that fermentation of wild yam by angkak will reduce cyanide level. Angkak or Red Mold Rice (RMR) is a product of rice fermentation using Monascus sp mainly M. purpureus. Beside red pigment, angkak fermentation also produces a variety of secondary metabolites such as lovastatin, mevinolin, and citrinin. Monacolin K (lovastatin) from Monascus purpureus is an inhibitor for HMG-CoA reductase in cholesterol biosynthesis. Monacolin K production is higher in Dioscorea substrate compared to rice. RMD (Red Mold Dioscorea) reveals higher anti-cholesterol activity and anti-hypertension than red mold rice. RMD also exhibits antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, and induces cancer sell apoptosis and does not reveal mutagenic and toxicity. In RMD, monascin and ankaflavin have a role in reducing cholesterol. It is expected that wild yam fermentation by angkak will reduce cyanide level and produce health beneficial secondary metabolites.

Effects of Chinese medicines on monacolin K production and related genes transcription of Monascus ruber in red mold rice fermentation.

Monacolin K (MK) is a secondary metabolite synthesized by polyketide synthases of Monascus spp. In this study, the combined supplementation of three medicines, including Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP), Fructus crataegi (FC), and Radix Angelicae Dahuricae (RAD), were mixed with nonglutinous rice and were optimized by response surface methodology to enhance the production of MK in fermented red mold rice (RMR). Under the optimum condition, MK production achieved 3.60 mg/g, which was 41.18% higher than RMR without medicines. The improved MK production was mainly caused by the up‐regulated transcription level of mokA, mokB, mokF, mokH, mokI, and mplaeA. Meanwhile, the inhibitory effect of Poria cocos (PC) on MK production (only 0.436 mg/g) was caused by significantly down‐regulated transcription of six tested genes. Therefore, this study is beneficial for better understanding of the possible mechanism of enhanced MK production by optimization of fermentation conditions.

In Silico Study on Testing Antidiabetic Compounds Candidate from Azaphilone Monascus sp.

Monascus sp. is a mold that is used for rice fermentation so that the brown rice is produced (Red Mold Rice) or Angkak. This rice has long been used on Asian food and traditional medicine. Angkak contains many bioactive compounds, including monakolin which is potentially to be used as nutraceutical. Monascus sp. produced pigments include yellow (Ankaflavin, Monaskin), Orange (Rubropunktatin, Monaskorubrin) and Red (Rubropunktamin, monaskorubramin) which have various biological activities. The purpose of the study was to know the pigments of the Monascus sp. as a compound antidiabetic candidate. This includes the Azaphilone Kapang Monascus sp. derivative compound In Silico. The test compound consists of 57 compounds of Monascus sp. Glycogen Fosforilase used as an antidiabetic receptor. Ligan preparation is drawn using ChemDraw software then with Marvin Sketch done Protonasi. Testing Drug Scan (Screening ligand based Drug likeness). The preparation of receptors by downloading antidiabetic receptors in Protein Data Bank (GDP). The ADME study was conducted with PreADMET web-based software. Validate the docking method and molecular tethering using the Autodock software 4.2.6. Drugscan test results on compounds Isolate MPs4 have qualified grades in all parameters such as molecular weight, proton donor, proton acceptor, log p and molar refractory. The results of the ADME test in the compound Isolate MPs4 have a qualified value in all parameters Caco-2, HIA (Human Intestinal Absorption), as well as in the PPB (Protein Plasma Binding). The result of the docking test in the Isolate compound MPs4 to be the best and qualified compound because it has a smaller affinity binding than the natural ligands and the comparator ligand (glibenclamide). The result of this research Isolate MPs4 is the candidate for new drugs antidiabetic. Keyword : Monascus sp., In silico, Azaphilone, Docking, Antidiabetic

THE IMPACT OF DIVERSIFICATION OF SANDALWOOD RED RICE PRODUCT ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF LOCAL ECONOMY IN MENGESTA VILLAGE.

Sandalwood red rice is the superior product of the village of Mengesta, Penebel, Tabanan. The purpose of this activity is to apply technology to produce a version of the sandalwood type of red rice product into a health food/drink product. The target output is to increase community knowledge and skills in the field of food processing technology and improve the economy of the local community. The method of implementing activities uses the PAP (Participatory Assessment and Planning) method which consists of four main steps, namely: (1) finding problems, (2) identifying potentials, (3) analyzing problems and potentials, and (4) choosing problem-solving solutions. Data were analyzed descriptively and qualitatively. The results of this activity are as follows. (1) Increasing public knowledge and skills in the field of food processing technology by utilizing sandalwood red rice. (2) The creation of a variety of processed red rice products into angkak (Red Mold Rice) as health drinks and natural food coloring agents, and (3) increasing community livelihoods which have an impact on improving the local economy.