Patent ID: 8361778

Claim:
A method for preparing a composition comprising a culture of viable microorganisms, said method comprising: a) treating an aqueous suspension of whole yeast cells and/or a lysate thereof, with one or more enzymes selected from the group consisting of an enzyme capable of digesting cell components, an enzyme capable of digesting the yeast cell wall, a proteinase, a lipase, a glucanase, an amylase, a nuclease, and a lyase to digest the whole yeast cells or a lysate thereof; and b) optionally inactivating the activity of the enzyme(s); c) optionally repeating step a) or steps a) and b); d) inoculating said treated suspension with a microorganism; and e) isolating/harvesting the obtained viable microorganisms, wherein the suspension of step a) is free of wheat germs or whole meal.