Production and antioxidant activity of alcoholic beverages made from various cereal grains using Monascus purpureus NBRC 5965

Monascus sp., which produces red pigments, has been utilized for brewing red alcoholic beverages and fermented foods in China and Okinawa, Japan. Novel red alcoholic beverages with antioxidant activity were made from cereal grains of various colours utilizing the saccharifying activity of Monascus purpureus NBRC 5965. The alcoholic beverage made from black rice and beni koji prepared with M. purpureus NBRC 5965 showed a deep red colour, and the DPPH radical scavenging activity of the alcoholic beverage made from black rice and beni koji was around a 3300 µm Trolox equivalent/mL‐beverage. The antioxidant activity of this alcoholic beverage is thought to be a result of the combination of Monascus pigments and black rice anthocyanin. The DPPH radical scavenging activity and inhibitory activity of lipid peroxidation of an alcoholic beverage made with beni koji were higher than those of an alcoholic beverage made with ki koji prepared with Aspergillus oryzae. Copyright © 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling