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.
Filamentous fungi; Monascus; natural colorants; red pigments; cell disruption
