RECOVERY OF MORE THAN 10 YEARS-DRYING m o N ascus CULTURES AND ITS PURIFICATION METHODS FROM FUNGAL AND BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION

This study was carried out to understand the recovery capability of more than 10 years- drying Monascus cultures. A new simple purification technique from fungal contamination using ethanol-soaking treatment was also reported as a part of this study. The result showed that all drying cultures were recovered well and retained their characters such as good growth, pigmen-tation and production of fruit bodies (ascomata), sexual spores (ascospores) and asexual spores. Several cultures showed its good growth in 20% ethanol medium. This study also reported suc-cessful purification of cultures from fungal contamination using ethanol-soaking treatment. This self-drying method, therefore, could be suggested as a good long-term preservation method for Monascus cultures. Moreover, purification method from fungal contamination soaked in ethanol 70% or 95% was successfully effective.