Liquid fermentation research of monascus pigment

The fermentation medium and conditions for monascus pigment production by monascus were studied. The results showed that the optimal medium composition for producing monascus pigments was as follows: glucose 30 g/L, NaNO₃ 15 g/L, ZnSO₄ 0.05 g/L and MnSO₄ 0.05 g/L, medium initial pH=3, liquid volume 30 mL/250 mL, incubation time 120 h. Under these conditions, color value of monascus producing monascus pigment reached 16.91 U/mL.