-The production of red pigments by Monascus ruber was evaluated utilizing complex culture media composed of glucose or sucrose (10 g/L), corn steep liquor (5 or 10 g/L) and monosodium glutamate (0, 5.0, 7.6, 11.4 or 15.2 g/L). Medium containing 10 g/L glucose, 5 g/L corn steep liquor and 7.6 g/L monosodium glutamate resulted the highest values of extracellular red pigment absorbance (20.7 U) and productivity (0.35 U/h). This medium also produced better results than using semi-synthetic medium with analytical grade reagents (12.4 U and 0.21 U/h). The cell growth was similar in both media (X ≅ 6.5 g/L), indicating that the capacity of the cells to produce red pigments was higher in complex culture media. In addition, in the complex culture medium, less of the intracellular red pigments accumulated than in semi-synthetic medium (9.1% and 30%, respectively).

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In this work red pigments production was evaluated (by spectrophotometry) in semi-synthetic medium by rotary shaker cultures, utilizing seven strains of Monascus sp. The strains isolated at LEB/DEQ/EPUSP had a absorbance average of extracellular red pigments higher than the others strains (13.0 and 9.6 U, respectively) and the specific production of extracellular red pigments was from 1.7 until 3.5 times higher than the specific production of intracellular ones.