Monascus is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented Monascus purpureus is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and Japan.
Phylogeny as given by Bisby et al., 2000, who put the genus into a separate family Monascaceae.[1]
Monascaceae MonascusMonascus kaoliang
Monascus pilosus
Monascus aurantiacus
Monascus floridanus
Monascus eremophilus
Monascus ruber
Monascus purpureus
Monascus argentinensis
Monascus is a genus of mold. Among the known species of this genus, the red-pigmented Monascus purpureus is among the most important because of its use in the production of certain fermented foods in East Asia, particularly China and Japan.
