Genus Monascus and Its Secondary Metabolites

Abstract

Genus Monascus belongs to the kingdom Fungi. These are ascomycetes known and used in Asia for centuries for food dyeing and conservation, or as part of traditional Chinese medicine. In the western world, Monascus fungus is used to produce food supplements. The representatives of genus Monascus produce a wide range of secondary metabolites, some of them having significant biological effects. The most important metabolites are azaphilone pigments, monacolins and mycotoxin citrinin. However, wider production of pigments and use of genus Monascus in food industry proves to be problematic because of the production of undesirable compounds such as citrinin.