Historical review of researches on yellow rice and mycotoxigenic fungi adherent to rice in Japan

Yellow rice” is the collective name of rice grains contaminated by Penicillum fungi in Japan. Three kinds of yellow rice, which are caused by different sub-species of toxigenic fungi, are known. Initially, mal-nutrition resulting from Asian poverty was regarded as the source of illness in people; however, thanks to ongoing research, the close relationship of “Shoshin-kakke (heartattacking paralysis)”, “mycotoxin”, and “rice” was elucidated. Subsequently, the illness was shown to derive from “yellow rice”, which was due to grains damaged by Penicillium spp. After World War II, another two kinds of yellow rice, “Islandia yellow rice” and “Citrinum yellow rice”, were found, and the causative toxic compounds were determined through interdisciplinary collaborative studies. This article summarized the researches on toxigenic fungi adherent to rice and three kinds of yellow rice identified in Japan.