Process Optimization for Enhanced Production of Monacolin K by Lipid-Lowering Monascus

Abstract:

In order to improve the yield of Monacolin K in lipid-lowering Monascus and reduce the production cost，seven strains of Monascus were screened for the efficient production of Monacolin K in this study. Among the tested strains，Monascus ruber 9901 was found to be the most suitable one for the purpose. Various kinds of rice were used as substrates for Monacolin K production by solid-state fermentation of Monascus ruber 9901，among which Guangxi indica rice was found as the best substrate. Afterwards，the appropriate fermentation time，the shaking frequency，the time of temperature adjustment，the amount of water addition and inoculation were systematically studied by single factor experiments. Based on these results，the response surface design was further used for the process optimization. The results showed that the optimal conditions were 45 mL water amount，10% inoculation amount，and incubated at 30 ℃ for 50 h followed with 25 ℃ until 20 d. Under the optimal conditions，the maximal yield of Monacolin K reached 10 453.07 mg/kg，corresponding to 48.97% higher than that of the control.