It is estimated that in more than 80 per cent children and infants who milk allergies, the culprit is the whey protein beta-lactoglobulin (beta-lg).

In a study published at the Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies journal, reseachers say that fermenting skim milk and sweet whey with a one-to-one mixture of Lactobacillus with S. thermophilus subsp. salivarius bacteria could reduce the quantity of beta-lactoglobulin in cow's milk, by as much as 90 per cent.

Kleber and her colleagues report that beta-lg antigenicity in the sweet whey was reduced by over 70 per cent, while skim milk had reductions of more than 90 per cent.

If they could prove that the fermented milk product's actual allergenicity, or capacity to induce an immune response, is really reduced, this could have a big impact on food production and formulation, considering that whey is commonly used in various food products such as ice creams, beverages, salad dressing and sports supplements.