In the ancient wine culture of China, what are the skills of traditional preparation of monascus?

Since the Yuan Dynasty, the preparation method of monascus has been recorded in the complete works of household necessities, Mo E Xiao Lu, Compendium of Materia Medica, heavenly creations and physical hints. The methods of making these three books are the same, as are Wu Kai in the Heavenly Palace and Lu Xiao in Mo 'e. Therefore, there are actually two independent methods to spread around the world.

The main points of the production method of the Complete Works of Tiangong Kaiwu are briefly described as follows: koji must be made first to make red koji. Qumu is actually distiller's grains. Monascus distiller's grains are distiller's grains made from monascus. The brewing method of koji mother is the same as the general brewing method. The raw material for making monascus is indica rice or japonica rice. ? "Complete Works of Household Necessities" soaked rice for only one night; "Heavenly Creature" was soaked for seven days until it stinks.

The steamed rice in the Complete Works of Rice, Oil and Salt is only steamed to seven degrees, while the steamed rice in Tiangong Wu Kaili is divided into two stages, first steamed to half-cooked, then cooked, and then steamed to eight degrees. The acidification of rice is different. In Wu Kai, Tiangong, rice grains have been acidified after long soaking. When adding monascus, add alum water and stir well. Alum is a double salt of potassium sulfate and aluminum sulfate, and its aqueous solution is acidic.

In Lu Xiao, people add vinegar to adjust the acidity. Although the two methods are different, the principle is the same. The most remarkable difference between monascus and other kinds of koji may be the acidification of koji-making raw materials. This is based on the acid resistance of monascus. Modern science has proved that the optimal growth pH of Monascus is 3? Between four o'clock. In this pH range, yeast is difficult to reproduce and the growth of bacteria is inhibited, but Monascus is safe and can grow normally.

In the process of cultivating bacteria, rice is usually placed in a bamboo board and stacked in layers on a wooden frame with a cover on the board. During this period, Qu's appearance color has undergone a series of remarkable changes, such as "Heavenly Creations", which said: "After a day or two, its initial snow white turned black, black turned brown, brown turned ochre, and ochre turned red. The red pole turns yellowish. Witness the change of the wind. " The change of color reflects the increase of the amount of red pigment secreted by microorganisms.

Finally, it turns yellow, probably because Monascus can also secrete yellow pigment. The most important operations in the process of bacterial culture are mixing, stacking, spreading and wetting with water in stages. "Those doctors who waited for seven days just sat under the shelf and couldn't sleep well, counting from midnight." The method of moistening Qu in stages with moisture is to fill new well water with buckets, fill Qu with bamboo rafts, and lift it immediately after soaking. Regarding the timing of moistening songs, Tiangong Wu Kai notes: "Black turns to brown, and brown turns to red, all of which are crossed once.

Red is no longer in the water. "The mechanism of water moistening Qu is mainly to control the moisture in Qu. Monascus is characterized by its saccharification ability and fermentation ability. If the water content of rice is too high, monascus will convert the starch in rice grains into alcohol, and the prepared monascus is hollow. If the moisture in the rice is too low, the mycelium of monascus can't enter the rice grain, and the monascus made is red and white.