There are all kinds of mold in nature, and we often see colorful plaques on the surface of poorly preserved food. There are many treasures in this, such as penicillin.
This time I'm going to talk about another substance – red yeast, a widely used natural pigment that is now known to have at least 10 pigment components in it.
How ancient and modern times were acquired
In ancient times, people used red yeast to ferment and produce wine, for example, the Southern Song Dynasty's "Yuxi Fishing and Drinking Cong" records that "Jiangnan people make red wine, color and taste are excellent", this tradition has been passed down to this day.
In ancient times, it was not easy to obtain pigments, and there were fewer safe and reliable food pigments, and red yeast was an excellent representative of it, such as "boiling meat with red yeast" in "Qing Yilu", and now people also use red yeast when making tamales.
The ancients also found that red yeast has a certain antiseptic and fresh-preserving function, such as the "Tiangong Kaiwu" recorded that the use of red yeast to smear fish meat, "after 10 days maggots are not close, the color and taste are not reduced."
Traditional red yeast has three varieties: kuqu, light qu and color qu.
Kuqu is mainly used to brew rice wine, fruit wine, medicinal wine, light koji is mainly used to brew curd milk, pickles, fruit wine, medicinal wine, color qu is mainly used for coloring.
Their differences are mainly the differences in strains, fermentation cycles, etc. Fujian is the main producer of traditional red yeast in China, and is most famous for gutian red yeast.
The ancestors may have been inspired by moldy rice and invented the method of making red yeast rice. It is also simple to say, that is, let the red yeast contaminate the steamed rice, then let it grow fully, and finally dry it to get the red yeast rice.
Modern industry is to cultivate Aspergillus flavus in a liquid nutrient solution, and then obtain the pigment in it through separation and extraction process, also known as red yeast red.
Of course, it is also possible to obtain red yeast rice in the traditional way, and then grind it to extract the pigment. However, since the 1990s, the process of liquid cultivation has gradually become the protagonist, and the production of red yeast pigment has increased significantly.
Strong applicability and wide range of applications
The chemical properties of red yeast pigment are quite outstanding in natural pigments, which are relatively stable in the range of phH 1-12, and can maintain color in a 120-degree high-temperature sterilization environment, so it can meet the needs of food cooking.
In addition, red yeast pigment is also relatively stable for various oxidizing or reducing substances, and is not easily affected by metal ions, so it is particularly suitable for use in the food industry.
Of course, red yeast pigment is not invincible, such as direct sunlight it will still fade, so it needs to be combined with some vitamin C or trehalose, gelatin and other ingredients to enhance stability.
People who like to eat meat know that nitrites are often added to foods such as lunch meat and ham sausage. This is because nitrite can react with myoglobin, and the formation of nitroso myoglobin is relatively stable, so that the meat will not become gray and dark after heating, and nitrite can also give food a unique flavor.
However, since many people believe that nitrite is carcinogenic, lowering nitrite is an anachronistic choice. The use of red yeast can play a role in coloring, thereby greatly reducing the use of nitrite.
In addition to the aforementioned coloring for ham sausages and lunch meat, red yeast can also be used for food surface coloring, such as decorative pastries, candies, pickles, juices, ice cream, etc., cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. It is found in the curd milk used to make tamales and braised meat at home.
Some people may ask, the surface of the meat can be understood, can the sauce beef be colored inside? Since the red yeast pigment can be dissolved in water, it is also possible to color the inside of the meat during the process of "conditioning meat". The method is very simple, just use a syringe to inject the curing liquid with red yeast pigment added.
Weak health care function is not carcinogenic
As early as 1979, the Japanese discovered an active substance from Aspergillus flarbium that inhibits cholesterol synthesis, called monacolin k (monacolin). Later, on this basis, the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin was developed. Later, scientists found more active ingredients in red yeast, such as ergosterol (which can be converted into vitamin D in the body), γ-aminobutyric acid, etc.
Current scientific evidence shows that some substances in red yeast yeast have certain beneficial functions such as anti-cancer, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and hypotensive. However, consumers must keep in mind that red yeast in a normal diet is not so magical, and even health foods developed with red yeast are difficult to have such an effect.
The reason is simple, because the content of the functional ingredient in red yeast is too low.
After all, Aspergillus flavouris is a mold, and the metabolites it produces are far more than just a red yeast pigment.
About 20 years ago, French scientists identified aspenicillin orange produced by Aspergillus flaringensis, and later found that many Aspergillus flavescens produce this substance.
Citrinulin is a mycotoxin, although its toxicity is much less than aflatoxin, but it may still have renal toxicity and carcinogenic and teratogenic effects.
Subsequently, Japan, the United States, the European Union and other countries and regions began to restrict the export of Chinese red yeast products. Later, the Chinese food industry began to screen excellent aspergillus flavus species that did not produce aspergillus orange, while reducing the production of orange penicillin by improving the production process. China's national standards also limit the amount of orange penicillin in the red yeast pigment.
In short, red yeast is safe and secure to eat, but don't expect to prolong your life by eating it. Source: Dietary reference