Diversity and Applications of Versatile Pigments Produced byMonascussp

This chapter focuses particularly on pigment production by different species of the Monascus genus, their structural classifications, characterization methods, and applications in food, as well as a number of their biological activities. A group of Monascus pigments was reported from different strains of Monascus sp. and classified according to their structures. In addition, Monascus genus have been reported to produce a variety of other metabolites, including monacolin, citrinin, γ-aminobutyric acid, and dimerumic acid. The pigments of Monascus were considered safe to use as food coloring agents before the detection of citrinin. Monascus pigments are complex of azaphilone compounds that can be detected using various analytical techniques. For the isolation and purification of Monascus pigments, column chromatography has long been extensively used. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a highly sensitive technique with various inbuilt detection systems for the analysis of various Monascus pigment constituents and components, such as fluorescent, ultraviolet, diode array detector (DAD).