紅麹代謝的特性與保健食品開發

Monascus Physiology and the Development of Monascus Functional Food

林讚峰(Tzann-Feng Lin)

《Fungal Science》 16卷1&2期 (2001/06) Pp. 33-37

https://doi.org/10.7099/FS.200106.0033

摘要

與一般常見的真菌相比，紅麴菌以生長緩慢、易被污染著稱。雖然大規模的工業化培養，可利用紅麴比其他微生物可忍受高溫、乾燥、高酒精、高酸與高滲透壓等惡劣環境之特性來抑制其他雜菌之生長，但此種培養方法極費人工，而且需依賴有經驗的老師傅進行製程之監控管理。因此紅麴菌雖在千餘年前即已被國人廣泛應用在食品加工與醫療保健，且遠播到東亞諸國，但其分佈仍侷限於少數地區且其培養工藝沒有多大進展。二十年前從紅麴菌分離出monascolins (statins)，並被證明可能是已知的最佳降膽固醇藥物之後，激勵不少歐、美、日學者投入紅麴菌的研究，除陸續從紅麴菌分離出GABA、dimerumic acid、SOD類似物等，具有人體保健功效的成分外，也發現紅麴色素與monascolin K的新醫療用途。因此，紅麴保健產品的開發相當被看好。但某些紅麴菌的polyketide pathway除了產生紅麴色素與monascolin K之外，也會產生有毒的桔黴素（citrinin），故保健紅麴的製造過程需避免雜菌污染，也需管制桔黴素的產生，才能符合健康食品法之要求。

關鍵字

紅麹菌 ； 生理特性 ； 醫療保健功效 ； 工業培養 ； 保健食品

並列摘要

Industrial cultivation of Monascus species on steamed rice was laborious and time-consuming due to the slow growth of the molds under severe conditions, such as high temperature, high alcohol, high acid, and high osmotic pressure. Recent studies showed that Monascus species produced dimerumic acid, a potent antioxidant, besides to the monacolins and many other well-known Monascus metabolites beneficial to human health. The re-discovery of new therapeutic activities of the known Monascus metabolites was also very encouraging. Thus, the diversified therapeutic activities of the Monascus metabolites led to strong interest of using the mold as a precious ingredient for manufacturing “functional foods” (or healthy foods). However, some Monascus spp. produced citrinin among the polyketide metabolites of Monascus pigments and monacolins. Thus, cultivating Monascus in a sealed and sterilizable vessel and eliminating the production of citrinin is a must to meet the safety regulation of functional foods.

並列關鍵字

Functional foods ； industrial cultivation ； Monascus ； physiology ； therapeutic activities