ABSTRACT
Food allergies are abnormal immune responses to food proteins that occur in susceptible hosts. This problem is recognized as a public health issue affecting a great number of individuals around the world, mainly young children, and its prevalence has increased over the last decades. Currently, the only effective method to prevent food allergy is to avoid the responsible allergen, a difficult strategy that can lead to relevant nutritional deficiencies. Many approaches have been studied in an attempt to reduce the antigenicity of food proteins. Amongst them, fermentation with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) seems to be a promising strategy. However, the success of this application depends on the strains used and on the process conditions. This chapter discusses the use of LAB to reduce food allergy, addressing the potential application of proteolytic LAB in the manufacturing of hypoallergenic products, through the hydrolysis of food antigens leading to a reduction in their ability to bind specific IgE. It also discusses the role of probiotics on immune system regulation and allergy suppression. The focus is recognized main food allergens to which the use of LAB as a strategy for allergy decrease has already been reported (i.e. milk, soybean, wheat, peanuts, and eggs).
