Excavation of genes related to tocopherol enrichment in Monascus.

The research team previously found that fermenting coix with Monascus can significantly increase lipophilic compounds, especially the increase in tocopherol. However, whether the significant increase in tocopherols mainly comes from the barley matrix, or from the Monascus strain, or whether such a significant enrichment is achieved through interaction, the contribution of Coix and Monascus in the fermentation process remains to be studied.