Angkak (red mold rice, red yeast rice, Chinese red rice), a traditional Chinese functional food is used as a natural dietary supplement. The secondary metabolite of Monascus species, pigments are widely used in food and biotechnology as natural colorants, flavors and Preservatives. Monascus fungi produce pigments which can be categorized into 3 groups based on color as follows: yellow pigments, orange pigments and red pigments. There are various factors influencing the pigments productions. In this study, the combined effects of pH, temperature and carbon source on pigments production were evaluated in a liquid culture of Monascus purpureus ATCC 1603. Response surface design was used to optimize each parameter. The data were analyzed using Minitab 14 software. pH value, carbohydrates concentration and temperature screened using response surface methodology for high pigments production in liquid culture system. The treatments were nine pH, four temperature and eleven carbon source levels of three different carbohydrates (glucose, maltose and sucrose). The highest production of pigments was reached with a pH value of 3, using maltose with 250g.l-1 concentration and at temperature of 25 °C.

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