Angkak, Lower Cholesterol

CHINA RED RICE Angkak or preservatives and dyes are natural and healthy food. Also Considered a variety of disease drugs. Based on research, products processed from rice Could this excess cholesterol reduction.
Angkak Heard said so often as the outbreak of dengue hemorrhagic cases of fever (DHF). DHF cases regularly Appear Every year, ESPECIALLY in the rainy season. Some people believe Angkak That Can be Used as a platelet booster drug.
So far there is not Enough scientific evidence to support it. However, if the empirical evidence on the community has shown that, of course it never hurts to try. In the discussion Following the writing of Angkak associated only with its role as a coloring agent, preservatives, as well as lowering blood cholesterol.
Called Angkak ordinary Chinese people as red rice Because the product is red, made from rice, and its history comes from China. In Some countries, Known as Angkak Different, Standard and Poor 'beni-Koji, hong Qu, hung-chu, Monascus, Red Koji, red leaven, red yeast rice, Xue zhi kang, and tai zhi. In China, the term tai zhi means Angkak in the form of dry powder, while Xue zhi kang means Angkak have extracted with alcohol.
Angkak manufacture in China was first Performed During the Reign of the Sun Dynasty Which ruled in XIV-XVII Centuries. In China, Angkak Used since Centuries ago, both for the sake of food and medicine. Angkak created through the Fermentation of rice with the mold Monascus purpureus.
Along with the development of the slogan back to basic, Angkak use as dyes and preservatives from ogled society. Some of the latest scientific evidence shows That Angkak Also be Used as a cholesterol-lowering drugs and blood pressure. Because so much benefit Angkak, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, has Received Angkak as food supplements.
As medicine Angkak as drug usage in China began in the Tang Dynasty. More detailed description of Angkak eBook Can be read on the ancient Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the Ben Cao Gang Mu-And Shi Bu Yi, published dynasty During the Sun (1368-1644). In the book, Angkak has been declared an upset stomach (indigestion and diarrhea), blood circulation, as well as for the spleen and stomach health.
In the art of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Angkak Used for the treatment of disease, indigestion, muscle injury, dysentery, and anthrax. Also Angkak often Used to relief the work strengthens the stomach and spleen function, Which is an organ of the body That sets the red blood cells That have been worn and filters foreign compounds.
Drug substance contained in a product actually Angkak secondary metabolites of mold Monascus purpureus, Which is lovastatin. Levels of lovastatin on Angkak about 0.2 percent. Lovastatin (C24H36O5) or mevacor or monacolin K has been Known as a drug compound That Can lower blood cholesterol levels in people with hypercholesterolemia.
Some recent research shows That compounds containing gamma-aminobutyric Angkak acid (GABA) and acetylcholine chloride, an active compound Which is hypotensive, means capable of lowering blood pressure. Therefore, Angkak Used often as a blood pressure-lowering drugs by people with hypertension.
Currently, commercial Angkak product has been marketed as a supplement to improve heart health. Examples of products already in circulation: Angkak Cholestini capsules containing 600 mg and Ruby Herbalin Angkak Monascusi the content of 500 mg capsules. Nevertheless, children and Adolescents under the age of 20 years is not recommended to use These supplements.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the dose supplements Angkak Used very high, reaching 6000-9000 mg per day. While the recommended dose is 600 mg (oral doses), 2-4 times as many tests per day. One study showed That Angkak giving to adults with a dose of 1200 mg per day for eight weeks, no negative effects.
However, Because information about the Security Impact of the use of high doses Angkak in the long term is still very limited, the use-Should be limited only in the short term. Although rare, side effects That Can be given by Angkak consumption is headache, stomach pain, gas arises, dizziness, and burning in the stomach.
People are at risk of liver disease or are suffering from liver disease Angkak Should not consume. With the Same mechanism as the Decrease in cholesterol, Angkak Also Can affect liver function. Alcoholics, people Who Are Experiencing serious infections, and physical disorders, organ transplants or have the WHO, it is recommended to avoid the use of Angkak. Impact on people Who Are pregnant and lactating women have not been evaluated, but Should be avoided.
Cholesterol lowering Since the 1970s China Trust That Angkak cans studies showed lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Some research indicates Monascus purpureus That Could Produce a variety of compounds are collectively That Called monacolin, are compounds That Can lower blood cholesterol levels in the body.
Monacolin compounds are capable of inhibiting the enzyme working 3rd-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMG-CoA reductase), an enzyme Which is required for the synthesis of cholesterol. Inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase reduces intracellular cholesterol deposits and Also inhibits the synthesis of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) in the liver.
Given the VLDL is a precursor of LDL, VLDL synthesis inhibition will from automatically reduce the amount of LDL. Cholesterol High Because it is not desired Can Increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, Standard and Poor 'atherosclerosis, heart disease, stroke, and hypertension. Inhibition of the enzyme working with HMG-CoA reductase by compounds have the Angkak That, the rate of cholesterol synthesis in the body is blocked, so That Can significantly lower cholesterol, body. That Tersebutlah beliefs encourage the use of Angkak as well as cholesterol-lowering drugs for heart disease.
Research granting Angkak using 83 people with high cholesterol have been conducted at the UCLA School of Medicine. Compared with Patients given a placebo (without Angkak), giving Angkak cans for 12 weeks significantly reduce LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides (fatty compounds accumulate Can Also in the blood vessels and cause damage). On the other hand, granting Angkak no effect on HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol).
A study Presented at the annual congress of the American Heart Association to 39 in 1999 showed That giving Angkak in hypercholesterolemia Patients cans for eight weeks 16-22,7 percent lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol by 21-31 percent and triglycerides by 24 to 34 percent. While HDL cholesterol increased by 14-20 percent.
Angkak Should not be consumed in conjunction with cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins) That are inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase (Standard and Poor 'atorvastatin, lovastatin, fluvastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, cerivastatin). Because, Can Increase the effects of the Drug That Will eventually raise the risk of liver damage.
Dyes Safe and Healthy Since time immemorial, our ancestors have been accustomed to using natural dye in foods and Beverages made. The use of natural dyes is clearly more secure and healthier than synthetic dyes. Natural dyes are pigments derived from vegetable materials, animal, bacteria, and algae.
Attention to the importance of using a natural dyes in food has increased lately. It is triggered by fear of the negative IMPACTS That Can be caused by synthetic dyes. Some suspected carcinogenic synthetic dyes, can trigger the Emergence of cancer cells.
Fungus of Monascus purpureus grown on rice as a substrate Can Produce a yellow pigment, red, and orange. Red Pigment Produced by the fungus has been Used as natural dyes in foods since many Centuries ago, ESPECIALLY by people in Asian countries, like China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Philippines.
Red Angkak potential as a replacement for synthetic red color, Which is currently very wide use in Various food products. Some examples of food products have been using red That dyes Angkak is wine, cheese, vegetables, fish paste, fish sauce, alcoholic Beverages, Various cakes, and processed meat products (sausages, ham, corned beef).
Angkak, Lower Cholesterol
As a natural colorant, Angkak have a fairly stable character, may be mixed with other color pigments, and non-toxic. Primary colors of pigment Produced by the Fermentation of Monascus purpureus is monaskorubrin and monaskoflavin Angkak. There are three primary colors That Can be caused by the pigment in Angkak, namely yellow, orange, and red.
Angkak pigment stability was Affected by Sunlight, ultraviolet light, acid and alkaline conditions (pH), temperature, and oxidizing. Angkak pigment is more stable, at pH 9 compared with pH 7 and pH 3. Heating at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius for one hour did not result in real damage to the pigment Angkak.
Preservatives are hindering Bacterial Pathogens Today the use of synthetic preservatives in many foods quite disturbing. Addition of the preservatives are intended to prolong the durability of a product a food store.
Distinguished preservative for food preservatives and no food preservatives. Food preservatives, although its use be allowed on the diet, excessive dosage still not recommended Because the negative impact for the health of consumers.
Some examples of preservatives are allowed and commonly Used in the food industry is benzoic acid or benzoate salts (potassium benzoate, calcium benzoate, sodium benzoate); sulfite salts (potassium sulfite, potassium bisulfite, potassium metabisulphite), nitrate and nitrite; sulfur dioxide.
Not a food preservative, formaldehyde and borax Poor ', although prohibited, in fact widely Used in Various food products. These two facts are of course very disturbing That people always want to live healthy. Therefore, the search for natural preservatives are Necessary.
The results showed That the pigment has Angkak as antimicrobial activity, making it suitable for use as a coloring material in an easy food contaminated with microbes. Thus, Angkak cans double play, that is, as well as dyes and preservatives. Angkak shown to inhibit the growth of bacterial pathogens (disease causing) bacteria and destroyers berspora, Standard and Poor 'Bacillus cereus and Bacillus stearothermophilus.
Use of Angkak Can reduce the use of nitrite in food. Nitrite is often Used as a component of saltpeter, Which is a substance That Is Used to maintain the red color of meat, ESPECIALLY in the manufacture of Sausage, bacon, and corned beef. In Some studies, nitrite was suspected as a trigger cancer cells. Can react with nitrites Amen components from food proteins to form nitrosamines, a carcinogenic substance. Therefore, the use of nitrites in foods Should be limited.
Through its nature as an antimicrobial, the use in the manufacture of Sausage Angkak intended to be a giver than a red color, they want Also serve as a safe preservative for health. Another advantage of using Angkak in Sausage making is to improve the texture and flavornya.
More Match with Rice Pera Traditionally, it Angkak Generally done by using rice as a substrate, through a system of solid Fermentation. Rice is suitable for use as a substrate is inflammation of rice, Which has high amylose levels, but low amilopetin.
Considering the Feelings of rice is much fluffier Cheaper price than rice, making rice Angkak of furniture is Expected to Provide economic value is greater.
Angkak made by entering about 25 grams of rice into a Petri dish, Which is then sterilized using an autoclave at a temperature of 121 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. The Purpose of Sterilization is to kill all the microbes so as not to contaminate and disrupt the process of making Angkak. Once cooled to a temperature around 36 degrees, the rice is inoculated with inoculum 2 grams of Monascus purpureus. After that, the mixture was stirred to mix and incubated at a temperature of 27-32 degrees for 14 days.
During the Incubation period, will from Monascus purpureus mold grow and multiply rapidly, covering the surface of the rice with red pigment. If You Want to Produce in the form of powder, the results of the Incubation oven-dried at a temperature of 40-45 degrees, and then crushed using a blender or food processor. If You Want Angkak pigments Produced in a more pure form, the pigment Can be extracted with ethanol and dried.
It be noted That Should not all the metabolites of Monascus strains Can be Used safety. Certain strains of the fungus is to Produce Known in High Enough Quantities citrinin. Citrinin is one of the toxic Chemicals That Can Be Produced by the fungus Monascus. Therefore, Angkak Contamination by bacteria and other dangerous molds need to be avoided, both in the process of manufacture or storage.
The writer is a nutrition expert from the Institut Pertanian Bogor
Source: Healthy Lifestyles