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A Monascus pilosus MS-1 strain with high-yield monacolin K but no citrinin

Yanli Feng1,2, Wanping Chen1, Fusheng Chen1

  • 11Key Laboratory of Environment Correlative Dietology, Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 China.

Food Science and Biotechnology
|September 29, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Researchers developed a method to produce cholesterol-lowering Monacolin K (MK) without the toxic citrinin. This ensures safer red yeast rice supplements by screening for non-citrinin producing Monascus strains.

Area of Science:

  • Food Science
  • Microbiology
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Monascus species produce Monacolin K (MK), a compound used for cholesterol regulation.
  • Some Monascus strains can produce citrinin, a harmful mycotoxin, contaminating MK products.
  • Developing citrinin-free MK production is crucial for safe and effective supplements.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To isolate and identify a Monascus strain capable of producing citrinin-free Monacolin K.
  • To optimize fermentation conditions for maximizing citrinin-free MK yield.
  • To develop a screening method for identifying non-citrinin producing Monascus strains.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation and identification of Monascus sp. MS-1 using morphology and ITS sequencing.
  • Optimization of liquid-state and solid-state fermentation for MK production.
  • High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for MK and citrinin quantification.
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to detect citrinin biosynthesis genes (ctnA, pksCT, ctnE, ctnR).

Main Results:

  • A Monascus pilosus strain (MS-1) was isolated, producing citrinin-free MK.
  • Optimal fermentation yielded 0.58 mg/mL MK in liquid and 16.45 mg/g in solid-state cultures.
  • No citrinin biosynthesis genes were detected in the selected strain.
  • HPLC and gene analysis proved effective for screening.

Conclusions:

  • Monascus pilosus MS-1 can be utilized for safe, citrinin-free Monacolin K production.
  • Optimized fermentation conditions significantly enhance MK yield.
  • Combined HPLC and gene analysis offer a reliable method for screening non-citrinin producing Monascus strains, ensuring product safety.
Keywords:
Monascus pilosuscitriningene clusteridentificationmonacolin K

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