Global Journal of Biology, Agriculture & Health Sciences

Abstract

PROVIDING A SINGLE STARTER FOR SUPPLYING FUNCTIONAL FOOD WITH LOW CITRININ CONTENT BY USING A SELECTED MONASCUS PURPUREUS STRAIN

Nandang Suharna

This physiological study was aimed at providing Monascus starter for supplying functional food with low citrinin content. This study included microscopic observation on ascospore production and bioactive analysis by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and measurement of pigment spectrophotometrically on angkak product. Starter or angkak was made by using rice IR46 as its substrate and a selected strain of Monascus purpureus was used for its source of inoculum. The highest ascospores production of angkak as starter was at 12 days of harvest (6,5 x 105 ascospores/g) and it reduced its production at 14 days of harvest at 3,2 x 105 ascospores/g. Actually, the presence of ascospores at various day of harvest was abundant in angkak. During microscopic examination there was only sexual spore (ascospores) observed under light or scanning electron microscopy. The scanning electron micrograph showed the good shape of Monascus’s ascospores. HPLC analysis result showed that angkak was harvested at day 12 was the lowest of citrinin content at 115 ppb and the highest was at day 10 which reached at 14,181 ppb. The highest of lovastatin content of angkak was 0.32% at 10 days of harvest and reduced at 12 and 14 days of harvest. The highest absorbance of red pigment content of angkak showed at the 10 days of harvest (OD500=0.5560). The red pigment content reduced after 10 days incubation period. At 12 and 14 days of harvest of angkak, the OD was 0.2370 and 0.1525 respectively. The similar measurement result of yellow pigment content showed at the 10 days of incubation of angkak which the highest absorbance reached 0.555. The yellow pigment content then also reduced after 10 day incubation period. At 12 and 14 days of harvest of angkak, the OD was 0.1925 and 0.106 respectively. This result indicated that the supply of starter could be achieved by high ascospore production of this selected M. purpureus strain used in this study. This supported potential use of the starter for providing functional food with low content of citrinin although lovastatin content was low, but retained by high content red pigment and particularly the yellow pigment.

Published Date: 2014-10-02;