Characteristics of Monascus pigment

Red yeast rice is produced by fermenting rice with red yeast and inoculated with Monascus. The red yeast pigment is extracted from red yeast rice and can be directly used as natural pigment. It is a natural pigment variety with good development prospects. Compared with other natural colorants, Monascus pigment has the characteristics of pH stability, heat resistance, light resistance, oxidation resistance and reducibility, and resistance to metal ions. As a high-quality natural pigment, Monascus pigment is recognized as a safe, non-toxic and highly effective food additive. In addition, Monascus pigment also has the functions of lowering blood fat, lowering blood pressure, lowering blood sugar and inhibiting tumor cells. Eat colorants. Monascus pigment has strong antibacterial and antibacterial ability, can effectively inhibit bacterial growth, and has a good effect in food processing.

Application in sausage

Qi Xiaohui's test on the effect of water-soluble monascus pigment on the color formation and retention of experimental sausages with reduced sodium nitrite showed that the light resistance of monascus pigment was much better than that of nitroso pigment, adding 300ppm red. The koji pigment can significantly enhance the color strength of the cured meat and the stability to light under normal sodium nitrite dosage. Sensory evaluation showed that it was not significantly different from the product added with the traditional food additive, and the natural pigment had a better flavor and texture.

Application in bacon

In the experiment on the application of three kinds of natural pigments of red yeast red, sorghum red and capsicum in bacon, Zheng Lihong used color and its change as evaluation indicators. The results showed that the color of bacon colored with red yeast pigment was the most popular. The stability of Monascus pigment was significantly higher than that of sorghum red and capsicum red colored bacon under cold storage and room temperature storage. The results of this experiment are used to satisfy the consumer's sensory requirements for bacon color and to reduce the amount of nitrite. In the study of red yeast pigment in bacon instead of nitrite coloration

In the experiment of applying effect, Wang also obtained the results of the experiment: the red yeast pigment can be added to the bacon by injection in an amount of 0.001% by weight, instead of part of the nitrite, and the sensory evaluation is performed. It is considered that the optimum addition amount of the Monascus pigment is 0.14 g of 1 kg of the raw material meat.

Application in ham

In the experiment to study the effect of the addition of sodium nitrite and monascus on the color of ham, the experimental results show that the use of Monascus pigment can not only improve the redness value of the product, but also significantly reduce the amount of sodium nitrite used, making the product safer. The color is more satisfactory. Monascus pigments are not only used in meat products. In the seasonings, Monascus pigment can significantly increase the red index of soy sauce and improve the flavor; the use of Monascus pigment in the making of wine can make the wine rich in flavor, unique in flavor and rich in nutrients; Among the pickled fruits and vegetables, the red yeast pigment can make the pickled vegetables fresh and more attractive. In the production of noodle products, the addition of red yeast pigment can improve the color, aroma, taste and taste of the noodles. Fresh and unique.

Use of Monascus pigment

Scientists detected a mycotoxin, citrinin, in the culture of Monascus in 1995. The citrinin is very harmful to the kidneys. Reducing the citrinin content has become an extremely important topic in the study of natural edible red pigments, but At present, the international problem has not fundamentally solved this problem. The red yeast pigment has a low preservation rate under the illumination of sunlight, and thus seriously affects the appearance quality of the product. Monascus pigment has water solubility, and red yeast pigment has good dispersibility when applied in meat products, especially the appearance of water-soluble monascus pigment, which makes the application more convenient, but the cost is higher.

Conclusion

At present, Monascus pigment has been used in the processing of meat products, and has gradually become a research hotspot of food additives. Since the extraction of other pigments is limited by production conditions and seasons, the source is unstable, and the production cost is high, which is not conducive to widespread promotion. And erythromycin is a microbial metabolite, and the influencing factors are small, which has a lot of room for exertion. However, problems such as safety, sunlight resistance, and water solubility of Monascus pigments have also arisen. Therefore, by screening high-yield, low citrin-based red yeast production strains; strengthening the extraction process of Monascus pigment, increasing the extraction rate; continuing to develop specific functions of blood pressure, anti-oxidation, etc. of Monascus pigment, and applied to meat products, Increase the added value of the product; combine the existing red yeast bacteriostatic substances with other bacteriostatic substances to synergistically increase the red yeast effect and effectively eliminate the red yeast defects. With the rising awareness of food safety and the in-depth study of red yeast pigment effectively replacing sodium nitrite, it will promote the development of meat processing industry more vigorously, generate considerable economic and social benefits, and make for the food industry. A bigger contribution.