What is red yeast rice red?
May 13, 2022
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Zhao Haiming
Introduction
Monascus Red is currently the world’s only natural functional food colorant produced via microbial fermentation and one of the secondary metabolites of *Monascus* mold. It is a pure, natural, non-toxic, and safe food colorant in powder form, obtained through liquid deep fermentation using *Monascus* mold, with rice and soybeans as the primary raw materials, followed by advanced modern biotechnological separation techniques.
Many foods contain monascusrubrin (red yeast rice pigment). But what exactly is monascusrubrin?
What Is Monascusrubrin?
Monascusrubrin is currently the world’s only natural functional food colorant produced via microbial fermentation. It is one of the secondary metabolites of Monascus mold. Produced primarily from rice and soybeans using traditional Chinese red yeast rice manufacturing techniques, monascusrubrin is obtained through deep liquid fermentation with Monascus fungi and advanced modern biotechnological separation methods. The resulting product is a pure, natural, non-toxic, and safe food-grade pigment in powder form. It offers multiple advantages, including nutritional value, natural origin, and multifunctionality. Monascusrubrin remains the sole natural functional food colorant worldwide produced by microbial fermentation and is one of the secondary metabolites of Monascus mold.
Monascusrubrin exhibits excellent water solubility and serves as a safe, stable, naturally vibrant coloring agent with certain health-promoting properties. It has been widely applied across various industries, including food (e.g., meat products, soy products, alcoholic beverages, fruit juices, soft drinks, confectionery, and baked goods), pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. In particular, it delivers outstanding results in the processed meat industry—especially for sausages—enhancing overall product quality. In recent years, Japan has filed numerous patents related to applications of red yeast rice pigments, paving the way for novel uses of monascusrubrin.
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