Use of response surface methodology to optimize culture medium for production of lovastatin by Monascus ruber

Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to study the effect of culture medium on the production of lovastatin in mixed solid-liquid state (or submerged) cultures by Monascus ruber. The maximal lovastatin yield (131 mg/L, average of three repeats) appeared at the region where the respective concentrations of rice powder, peptone, glycerin, and glucose were around 34.4 g/L, 10.8 g/L, 26.4 ml/L, and 129.2 g/L, respectively. The optimized medium resulted in a significant increase of lovastatin yield, as compared with that obtained by the fermentation of many other M. ruber species. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.