title: Effect of amino acids on red pigments and citrinin production in Monascus ruber.
abstract: Amino acids were used as sole nitrogen sources to examine their effects on the production of water-soluble red pigments and citrinin by Monascus ruber ATCC 96218 cultivated on chemically defined media. In general, when glycine, tyrosine, arginine, serine, or histidine were used as sole nitrogen sources, they favored the production of red pigments, and restricted the synthesis of the mycotoxin. In contrast, the production of citrinin was enhanced in media supplemented with either glutamate, alanine, or proline. Histidine was found to be the most valuable amino acid as it resulted in the highest production of red pigments and almost completely eliminated the formation of mycotoxin.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biotechnologie Végétale et Biologie Moléculaire, Dépt. de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Univ. Moulay Ismail, B.P. 11201 Zitoune, Meknès, Morocco. h_hajjaj@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hajjaj
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: François
authors.forename: Gérard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Goma
authors.forename: Philippe J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Blanc
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D002953:Citrinin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D003470:Culture Media / Q000032:analysis; D005285:Fermentation; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D006639:Histidine / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D032741:Monascus / Q000378:metabolism*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011392:Proline / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D003470:Culture Media; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D002953:Citrinin; D006639:Histidine; D011392:Proline; D009584:Nitrogen; D000409:Alanine