This study aims to see if probiotic bacteria from human milk could ameliorate oral cow’s milk sensitization. The probiotic potential of the SL42 strain isolated from the milk of a healthy young mother was first determined. Rats were then randomly gavaged with cow’s milk casein without an adjuvant or assigned to the control group. Each group was further subdivided into three groups, with each receiving only Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938, SL42, or a phosphate-buffered saline solution. Body weight, temperature, eosinophils, serum milk casein-specific IgE (CAS-IgE), histamine, and serum S100A8/A9 and inflammatory cytokine concentrations were measured. The animals were sacrificed after 59 days; histological sections were prepared, and the spleen or thymus weights, as well as the diversity of the gut microbiota, were measured. On days 1 and 59, SL42 abridged systemic allergic responses to casein by dropping histamine levels (25.7%), CAS-specific IgE levels (53.6%), eosinophil numbers (17%), S100A8/9 (18.7%), and cytokine concentrations (25.4–48.5%). Analyses of histological sections of the jejunum confirmed the protective effect of probiotic bacteria in the CAS-challenged groups. Lactic acid bacteria and Clostridia species were also increased in all probiotic-treated groups. These findings suggest that probiotics derived from human milk could be used to alleviate cow’s milk casein allergy.

The world has been dealing with a coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic since January 2020, which is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. To avoid the spread of the disease, drastic measures were implemented. These measures, however, can have a negative impact on people's health because they influence their behavior. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on people's lifestyles, including food consumption, when combined with quarantine measures. In order to shed light on the Algerian population's food habits during the pandemic, an observational and descriptive epidemiological study on 640 people, whether or not they were infected with COVID-19, was conducted in the western region of Algeria. The study used an online and face-to-face interview questionnaire focused on the pandemic's elapsed period between February and September 2020. Our findings showed that half of our participants had influenza during the study period, but only 37.53 % of them had COVID-19. As a result, almost all of our test-positive respondents (95 %) followed a medical protocol automatically. Furthermore, 31.57 % of them stated that they were following a specific diet to avoid COVID-19 contamination. This resulted in a clear shift in Algerian cuisine (70.31 %), with processed foods (3.47 %) and modern dishes (5 %) made outside the home consumed at low levels, while consumption of vegetables (22.39 %), fruits (15.87 %), and traditional dishes (11.95 %) increased. Vulnerable people, such as breastfeeding mothers, were faced with the double burden of nourishing their babies while being Covid-positive, causing 35/40 cases to discontinue breastfeeding completely. Overall, 83.09 % of our participants were malnourished. This study is the first draft in the understanding of Algerians' dietary behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it could be used effectively in the delineation of strategies for correction and support of citizens in underdeveloped countries.

For the first time, this study presented the use of raw locust bean gum (LBG) as a prebiotic, with one probiotic strain in synbiotic fermented milk or combined with Na-alginate as a biopolymer, for a targeted release of bacteria under colon-like conditions. For this purpose, the fermentative characteristics (biomass, pH), bacterial survival, and developed viscosities of the stored fermented milks were determined. The survival rates of microencapsulated bacteria using the emulsion technique under simulated gastrointestinal conditions (stomach: pH 2 + 0.3% pepsin; colon: pH 6.5 + 1% pancreatin + 0.3% bile) were also evaluated. Results showed that all the tested bacteria maintained better biomass and acidifying activities in the presence of LBG, especially at 2%. During cold storage, the viscosities of the LBG-fermented milks were regulated and better appreciated, especially at 2%. Lactobacillus rhamnosus LbRE-LSAS and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bb12 microencapsulated separately in Ca-alginate-raw carob gum maintained good survival rates (51 - 66%) as compared to free cells (21 - 59%) under simulated digestive conditions, and were released under colon-like conditions. Therefore, the formulation of LBG-enriched fermented milks containing probiotic bacteria could represent a very good candidate for industrial application. Ca-alginate-raw LBG beads for the specific release of probiotics in the colon could benefit consumers with celiac disease or other digestive disorders because LBG is naturally gluten-free.