Antioxidant activity of liquid-state fermentation products of Monascus pilosus grown in garlic-containing medium

To evaluate the effect of garlic-containing medium on the antioxidant activity of liquid-state fermentation products of Monascus spp., antioxidant activity of garlic extract (GA), extract from mycelia of Monascus pilosus mutant submerged culture (MP), extract from mycelia of M. pilosus mutant submerged garlic-containing culture (MPG), and growth substrate of M. pilosus mutant submerged garlic-containing culture (SMPG) was evaluated by various antioxidant assays, including DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl), superoxide- and hydrogen peroxide-scavenging assays, lipid peroxidation assay, and metal-binding assay as well as ethidium bromide fluorescence-binding assay. The results showed that radical-scavenging, iron-chelating, and DNA-protection activities of GA were significantly higher than MP; however, after culturing in garlic-containing medium, the antioxidant activities of M. pilosus fermentation products MPG and SMPG were significantly increased but not more than GA. The results imply that addition of garlic paste into culture medium raised the nutritive quality of M. pilosus fermentation products by increasing antioxidant activity.