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Monascus purpureus

 
Monascus Purpureus

 
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Monascus purpureus
 
 
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Monascus purpureus (syn. M. albidus, M. anka, M. araneosus, M. major, M. rubiginosus, and M. vini; , lit. "red yeast") is a species of mold
Mold

Molds include all species of microscopic fungi that grow in the form of Multicellular organism filaments, called hyphae. In contrast, microscopic fungi that grow as single cells are called yeasts....
 that is purplish-red in color. It is also known by the names ang-khak rice mold, corn silage mold, maize silage mold, and rice kernel discoloration.

This fungus is most important because of its use, in the form of red yeast rice
Red yeast rice

Red yeast rice , red fermented rice, red kojic rice, red koji rice, or ang-kak, is a bright reddish purple fermented rice, acquires its colour from being cultivated with the mold Monascus purpureus....
, in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia
East Asia

East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either Geography or cultural terms. Geography and geopolitically, it covers about 12,000,000 km?, or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang, and Mongolia as Central Asia....
 (particularly China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 and Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
).






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Monascus purpureus (syn. M. albidus, M. anka, M. araneosus, M. major, M. rubiginosus, and M. vini; , lit. "red yeast") is a species of mold
Mold

Molds include all species of microscopic fungi that grow in the form of Multicellular organism filaments, called hyphae. In contrast, microscopic fungi that grow as single cells are called yeasts....
 that is purplish-red in color. It is also known by the names ang-khak rice mold, corn silage mold, maize silage mold, and rice kernel discoloration.

This fungus is most important because of its use, in the form of red yeast rice
Red yeast rice

Red yeast rice , red fermented rice, red kojic rice, red koji rice, or ang-kak, is a bright reddish purple fermented rice, acquires its colour from being cultivated with the mold Monascus purpureus....
, in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia
East Asia

East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either Geography or cultural terms. Geography and geopolitically, it covers about 12,000,000 km?, or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang, and Mongolia as Central Asia....
 (particularly China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 and Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
). However, discoveries of cholesterol-lowering statin
Statin

The statins are a class of drugs that lower cholesterol levels in people with or at risk of cardiovascular disease.They lower cholesterol by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which is the rate-limiting step enzyme of the mevalonate pathway of cholesterol synthesis....
s produced by the mold has prompted research into its possible medical uses.

The related fungi Monascus ruber and Monascus pilosus are also used in industrial applications.

See also

  • Red yeast rice
    Red yeast rice

    Red yeast rice , red fermented rice, red kojic rice, red koji rice, or ang-kak, is a bright reddish purple fermented rice, acquires its colour from being cultivated with the mold Monascus purpureus....


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