Red yeast rice is rice with a characteristic red colour. Red yeast rice is a reddish purple fermented rice whose colour comes from the fact that it is grown on the yeast Monascus purpureus. Red yeast rice contains a variety of substances called monacolins, each identified with its own letter; however, it is only monacolin K that is recognised for its ability to maintain normal cholesterol levels in the body. In addition, red yeast rice contains several unsaturated fatty acids and phytosterols.
In Asia, red yeast rice is common in cooking for flavour and preservation, and in China, its use can be traced back thousands of years in history.
