Background:
Red yeast rice, also called red rice koji or akakoji, red fermented
rice, red kojic rice, red koji rice, anka, or ang-kak, is a bright
reddish purple fermented rice, which acquires its colour from being
cultivated with the mold Monascus purpureus.
Red yeast rice is a substance that\'s extracted from rice that\'s
been fermented with a type of yeast called Monascus purpureus.
It\'s been used in China and other Asian countries for centuries as
a traditional medicine. It\'s also used as a food coloring,
additive, and preservative.
Use:
Red yeast rice is used to colour a wide variety of food products,
including pickled tofu, red rice vinegar, char siu, Peking Duck,
and Chinese pastries that require red food colouring. It is also
traditionally used in the production of several types of Chinese
wine, Japanese sake (akaisake), and Korean rice wine (hongju),
imparting a reddish colour to these wines. Although used mainly for
its colour in cuisine, red yeast rice imparts a subtle but pleasant
taste to food and is commonly used in the cuisine of Fujian regions
of China.
Function:
(1). lowering blood pressure and total cholesterol;
(2). improving blood circulation and benefiting stomach;
(3). reducing the occurring of Alzheimer\'s
disease.