Method for the preparation of anallergic probiotic bacterial cultures and related use

1. A method for preparing a live probiotic food product or a live probiotic pharmaceutical formulation comprising

(i) providing a fermentative substrate containing sulfur dioxide and sulfites at concentrations of not more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/liter expressed as SO 2 ;

(ii) adding to the substrate provided in step (i) an exogenous meat peptone or an exogenous vegetal peptone selected from the group consisting of rice, potato, maize, chestnuts, tapioca, manioca, pea, fava beans, and mixtures thereof;

(iii) fermenting one or more live probiotic bacteria in the fermentative substrate of step (ii) to yield a probiotic bacterial culture containing less than 3 ppm gluten, less than 7 ppm lactose, and less than 0.05 ppm beta-lactoglobulins, and

(iv) preparing a live probiotic food product or live probiotic pharmaceutical formulation comprising said probiotic bacterial culture

wherein one of the one or more live probiotic bacteria is the Lactobaciillus acidophilus strain deposited at the BCCM LMG under deposit accession number LMG P21381.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fermentative substrate comprises (a) glucose derived from maize starch, potato starch, beet sucrose, or cane sucrose, or (b) mono- and disaccharides derived from complex polysaccharide hydrolysis.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fermentative substrate comprises glucose derived from maize starch, potato starch, beet sucrose, or cane sucrose.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said live probiotic food product or live probiotic pharmaceutical formulation obtained in step (iv) is freeze dried.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said method prepares a live probiotic pharmaceutical formulation.

6. A method for preparing a live probiotic food product or a live probiotic pharmaceutical formulation comprising

(i) preparing a fermentative substrate comprising an exogenous meat peptone or an exogenous vegetal peptone selected from the group consisting of rice, potato, maize, chestnuts, tapioca, manioca, pea, fava beans, and mixtures thereof,

(ii) subjecting the fermentative substrate to an enzymatic treatment using a proteolytic enzyme, a glycoside enzyme, or both to obtain a fermentative substrate containing sulfur dioxide and sulfites at concentrations of not more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/liter expressed as SO 2 , wherein the proteolytic enzyme is selected from the group consisting of trypsin, chymotrypsin, pancreatin, pepsin, papain, and bromelain, and wherein the glycoside enzyme is selected from the group consisting of alpha-glucosidase and beta-glucosidase,

(iii) fermenting one or more live probiotic bacteria in the fermentative substrate to yield a probiotic bacterial culture containing less than 3 ppm gluten, less than 7 ppm lactose, and less than 0.05 ppm beta-lactoglobulins, and

(iv) preparing a live probiotic food product or live probiotic pharmaceutical formulation comprising the probiotic bacterial culture obtained in step (iii),

wherein the fermentative substrate, and the live probiotic food product or live probiotic pharmaceutical formulation are each substantially free of gluten and milk-derived allergens, and

wherein one of the one or more live probiotic bacteria is the Lactobaciillus acidophilus strain deposited at the BCCM LMG under deposit accession number LMG P21381.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said enzymatic treatment comprises treating the fermentative substrate with (a) bromelain, and (b) beta-galactosidase.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein said enzymatic treatment comprises treating the fermentative substrate with bromelain.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein

(a) the fermentative substrate is treated with alcalase at 45° C.-55° C., pH 7-8, for 15-60 minutes,

(b) the fermentative substrate is treated with lactase at 30° C.-40° C., pH 6-7, for 2-6 hours, and

(c) the fermentative substrate is treated with bromelain at 30° C.-40° C., pH 5-6, for 1-6 hours.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein, following the enzymatic treatment,

(a) the fermentative substrate pH is adjusted to a value suitable for culturing said probiotic bacteria; and

(b) the fermentative substrate is heated to a temperature of 90° C.-145° C. for a time sufficient to inactivate enzymes used in the enzymatic treatment.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein the fermentative substrate comprises (a) glucose derived from maize starch, potato starch, beet sucrose, or cane sucrose, or (b) mono- and disaccharides derived from complex polysaccharide hydrolysis.

12. The method of claim 6 , wherein the fermentative substrate comprises (a) glucose derived from maize starch, potato starch, beet sucrose, or cane sucrose, (b) a meat peptone, and (c) a vegetal peptone selected from the group consisting of: rice, potato, maize, chestnuts, tapioca, manioca, pea, fava beans, and mixtures thereof.

13. The method of claim 6 , wherein said live probiotic food product or live probiotic pharmaceutical formulation obtained in step (iv) is freeze dried.

14. The method of claim 6 , wherein said method prepares a live probiotic pharmaceutical formulation.