''Monascus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

mold A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungus, fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of Spore#Fungi, spores containing Secondary metabolite#Fungal secondary metabolites, fungal seco ...

. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''

Monascus purpureus ''Monascus purpureus'' (syn. ''M. albidus'', ''M. anka'', ''M. araneosus'', ''M. major'', ''M. rubiginosus'', and ''M. vini''; , lit. "red yeast") is a species of mold that is purplish-red in color. It is also known by the names ang-khak rice mo ...

'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

, particularly

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Species

* ''

Monascus albidulus ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and Ja ...

'' * ''

Monascus argentinensis ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and Ja ...

'' * ''

Monascus aurantiacus ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and Ja ...

'' * ''

Monascus barkeri ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and Ja ...

'' * ''

Monascus eremophilus ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and ...

'' * ''

Monascus flavipigmentosus ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and ...

'' * ''

Monascus floridanus ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and Ja ...

'' * ''

Monascus fumeus ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and Ja ...

'' * ''

Monascus lunisporas ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and ...

'' * ''

Monascus mellicola ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and Ja ...

'' * ''

Monascus mucoroides ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and ...

'' * ''

Monascus olei ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and ...

'' * ''

Monascus pallens ''Monascus pallens'' is a fungal species in the Monascaceae family. It was found during a survey done on water and sediment of the Shatt al-Arab river in Basra, Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Ira ...

'' * ''

Monascus paxii ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and ...

'' * ''

Monascus pilosus ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and ...

'' * ''

Monascus recifensis ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and ...

'' * ''

Monascus ruber ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and ...

'' * ''

Monascus rutilus ''Monascus'' is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented ''Monascus purpureus'' is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and ...

'' * '' Monascus sanguineus'' * '' Monascus vini''

Phylogeny

Phylogeny as given by Bisby et al., 2000, who put the genus into a separate family

Monascaceae Monascaceae is a family of fungi in the subclass Eurotiomycetidae. Genera According to Mycobank, Monascaceae is currently subdivided as follows: * '' Allescheria'' * '' Backusia'' * '' Basipetospora'' * '' Eurotiella'' * '' Fraseriella'' * ''Mo ...

Monascus pigments and biosynthesis

'' derives its signature red color from mosascus pigment that is composed of azaphilones or secondary fungal metabolites. There are six primary compounds all with similar biosynthetic pathways, two yellow pigments, ankaflavin and monascin, two orange pigments monascorubin and rubropunctain, and two red pigments monascorubinamine and rubropunctaimine. All six are produced with a combination of

polyketide synthase Polyketides are a class of natural products derived from a precursor molecule consisting of a chain of alternating ketone (or reduced forms of a ketone) and methylene groups: (-CO-CH2-). First studied in the early 20th century, discovery, biosynth ...

(PKS) and

fatty acid synthase Fatty acid synthase (FAS) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''FASN'' gene. Fatty acid synthase is a multi-enzyme protein that catalyzes fatty acid synthesis. It is not a single enzyme but a whole enzymatic system composed of two iden ...

(FAS) In the first step a hexekatide is formed through Type 1 PKS encoded by the Mripig A gene. PKS uses the domains acyl transferase, acetyl-CoA, ketoacyl synthase, acyl transferase, acyl carrier protein and the base units of acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA to produce a ketone chain that undergoes Knoevenagel

aldol condensation An aldol condensation is a condensation reaction in organic chemistry in which two carbonyl moieties (of aldehydes or ketones) react to form a β-hydroxyaldehyde or β-hydroxyketone (an aldol reaction), and this is then followed by dehydration to ...

s. The second step is the formation of a fatty acid through the FAS pathway. The β-keto acid then undergoes a trans-esterification reaction to form one of the two orange pigments. At this point the compound can either undergo reduction to form one of the yellow pigments or amination to form one of the red pigments.

References

Eurotiales Eurotiomycetes genera Taxa described in 1884 {{Eurotiomycetes-stub