Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) – An Economically viable source for Antihypercholesterolemic Metabolites Production by Monascus purpureus

Rice, parboiled rice, fi nger millet, germinated
fi nger millet, broken wheat, njavara (medicinal rice), sorghum
and maize were used as substrates for solid state
fermentation of Monascus purpureus at 28°C for 7 days
using 2% seed medium as inoculum for the production of
its metabolites. The fungus exhibited good growth in all the
substrates. The fermented substrates were dried at 45°C and
analysed for antihypercholesterolemic metabolite statins by
standardized HPLC method and dietary sterol contents by
spectrophotometric method using reference standards of
statin (pravastatin and lovastatin) and cholesterol, respectively.
Germinated fi nger millet yielded higher total statin
production of 5.2 g/kg dry wt with pravastatin and lovastatin
content of 4.9 and 0.37 g/kg dry wt respectively than
other substrates which range from 1.04–4.41 g/kg. In addition
to statin, monascus fermented germinated fi nger millet
yielded dietary sterol of 0.053 g/kg dry wt which is 7.6 folds
higher than the control. The value addition of fi nger millet
by germination and fermentation with Monascus purpureus
provides scope for development of functional food.