Effects of Mozzarella Cheese Manufactured by S. macedonicus LC743 on the Immune Status of Mouse

To develop a new starter culture for Mozzarella cheese, the immunomodulatory action of Streptococcus macedonicus LC743 in male C57BL/6 mice was studied. Mice were fed for 7 wk with feed containing 1% Mozzarella cheese made with three kinds of starter cultures from S. macedonicus LC743 (G3), FD-DVS TCC-3 (G2) and S. macedonicus LC743 : FD-DVS TCC-3(1:1) (G4) and control (feed only, G1), respectively. No significant differences in body weight gain were observed among the various groups of mice. The spleen index and thymus index were observed and no significant differences were found among the groups. The production of TNF-${\alpha}$ of S. macedonicus LC743 group significantly increased compared to the control group. The production of IL-$1{\beta}$ was significantly enhanced by the feeding of S. macedonicus LC743 group compared to the control group. In regards to the white blood cell counts, the neutrophil percentages were significantly higher in the G1 group compared to other groups. The lymphocyte percentages were significantly higher in G2, G3 and G4 groups in comparison to the control group. The results of this study may suggest that the supplementation of S. macedonicus LC743 can increase the cytokine production activity by the activated macrophages in mice. Based on the result of this study, it could be concluded that S. macedonicus LC743 could stimulate the immune functions of mice.