Monascus pigments were considered as safe food
coloring agents until citrinin, a nephrotoxic mycotoxin, was
detected in Monascus products (4). The creation of citrinin rules out
the use of the Monascus pigments in food production and processing.
It was reported that citrinin could cause 50% cell death to
human embryonic kidney cell in a range of 1.8e4.7 mg/mL (5). In
the field of food safety, citrinin concentration is limited officially to
0.2 mg/L in Japan, and the standard of specification on the citrinin
concentration for functional food products should be less than
2 mg/L in Taiwan