Determination of the proteolytic activity and functional potential of lactic acid bacteria to reduce the immunogenic activity of gluten in vitro

Abstract

Foods that contain gluten may cause celiac disease, a chronic autoimmune inflammatory enteropathy that affects the small intestine of genetically predisposed individuals. Gluten, found in the endosperm of seeds (wheat, barley, rye, and others) is a protein complex made up of gliadins and glutenin. Some lactic acid bacteria may present functional characteristics (e.g., probiotics), and, also, hydrolyze gliadins and glutenin. In this project, natural sourdough will be prepared and used for screening of strains of lactic acid bacteria with proteolytic activity on gluten proteins. The project aims to characterize the proteolytic activity, identify the selected strains, evaluate their functional and anti-allergenic potential, evaluate their safety for application in foods, and test the effect of the hydrolyzed proteins on the production of proinflammatory cytokines in the intestinal epithelium using a cellular model (Caco-2). The results of this project intend to provide concrete scientific evidence on the potential benefits of these bacteria for the design of foods with reduced gluten content. This project will be developed in the frame of the Food Research Center (FoRC/FAPESP/CEPID 2013/07914-8), in partnership with researchers from the Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos (CERELA, Tucumán, Argentina (SPRINT 3/2016 - Process FAPESP nº 16/50480-7) and Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages, INRA-Nantes, France), by means of the FERALL project, Food For Tomorrow - CAP Aliment, 2017 and the CAPES-COFECUB, 2018 project. (AU)