Effect of carbon, nitrogen and salt sources on the growth of monascus purpureus in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa)-based culture media

Monascus purpureus is produced in Asia and used as a food dye and for medicinal purposes. In the present study, the radial growth of quinoa flour-based culture media was evaluated on the tenth day after cultivation with different sources of carbon (glucose, fructose and molasses), nitrogen (monosodium glutamate, fermented fish and fish hydrolysate) and sodium chloride in two percentages (0.5% and 1%) at different pH (5, 6 and 7). The highest value obtained was 72.59 mm with a radial growth rate of 3.629 mm/day, corresponding to the effect of 0.5% (w/v) sodium chloride at pH 6, and the lowest value was 42.05 mm with a radial growth rate of 2.10 mm/day, due to the effect of 0.5% (w/v) monosodium glutamate at pH 7. From this investigation, it was deduced that different sources of carbon, nitrogen and sodium chloride have effects on the development of M. purpureus and that factors such as pH and supplement concentration did not cause changes in the morphology of the colonies. ; The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support obtained from CONCYTEC-PROCIENCIA under the Basic Research Project 2019-01 [contract 383-2019-FONDECYT]. We would also like to thank the Laboratorio de Microbiología de Alimentos UNALM, Laboratorio de Biotecnología Ambiental-Biorremediación UNALM and the Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO). U. Gonzales-Barron would like to thank the FCT for the national funding through the institutional scientific employment program contract. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion