enhanced anti-inflammatory properties. For this purpose, the fer-
mented milks were prepared at 30 C, a temperature compatible
with the growth of P. freudenreichii. Before evaluating their immune
properties, the fermented milks were tested for different parame-
ters: growth of starters, survival at 4 C during storage, and rheo-
logical properties. Three starter combinations were tested: Mix1/CB
129 (Mix1-Pf) (Fig. 2A), Mix2/CB129 (Mix2-Pf) (Fig. 2B), and Mix3/
CB129 (Mix3-Pf) (Fig. 2C). In all these combinations, the inoculation
level of the LAB starter was low (between 1 Â 104 cfu/ml and
5 Â 105 cfu/ml), to allow the growth of P. freudenreichii, which has a
generation time of 5 h at 30 C (Thierry et al., 2011). Under these
conditions, pH of 4.6 was reached in about 16e17 h. The rheological
properties of the products measured at day 1 and after 7 days of
storage at 4 C were identical in term of viscosity (data not shown).
In fermented milk Mix1-Pf, the lactococcal strain reached a
maximum population of 5.6 Â 108 cfu/ml and this population
remained stable during the 4 C storage period (14 days). In the
Mix2-Pf-fermented milks, the maximum population of S. thermo-
philus reached 6.6 Â 108 cfu/ml and the maximum lactococcal
population was 5.6 Â 108 cfu/ml. The streptococcoccal population
remained stable for 14 days at 4 C, whereas a reduction in the
viability of lactococcal population was observed. In the third assay
(Mix3-Pf), the maximum streptococcal population reached