Taste quality of monascal adlay.

Monascus purpureus was inoculated into cooked adlay, and a new product was produced after fungal fermentation. Contents of crude ash, fat, fiber, and protein in the inoculated products [monascal polished adlay (MPA) and monascal dehulled adlay (MDA)] were much higher than those in the uninoculated controls [polished adlay (PA) and dehulled adlay (DA)]. Only carbohydrate content was notably higher in DA and PA. The three soluble sugars and polyol found were arabitol, galactose, and glucose. The contents of total soluble sugars and polyol were in the descending order of DA approximately PA (79.6 and 79.1 mg/g, respectively) > MDA (59.8 mg/g) > MPA (53.5 mg/g). The total free amino acid contents ranged from 8.60 to 14.11 mg/g and occurred in the descending order of MDA approximately MPA > DA > PA. Contents of bitter components (4.07-7.61 mg/g) were high as compared to monosodium glutamate-like and sweet components, in the descending order of MDA approximately MPA > DA > PA. No flavor 5'-nucleotides were found. On the basis of the results obtained, monascal adlay products might give a bitter perception.