Phage resistant lactic acid bacteria

A method for obtaining a non-CRISPR bacteriophage-insensitive mutant (BIM) from a lactic acid bacterium parent strain comprising

• f. exposing said parent strain to at least one virulent bacteriophage which expresses a gene encoding an anti-CRISPR protein
• g. growing surviving lactic acid bacteria for at least one cycle in milk in the presence of said at least one bacteriophage which expresses a gene encoding an anti-CRISPR protein
• h. isolating BIMs resulting from b
• i. characterizing at least one isolated BIM by
• i. exposing said isolated BIM to at least two different bacteriophages to determine the spectrum of bacteriophage insensitivity, and
• ii. testing the stability of the acquired bacteriophage resistance of said at least one isolated BIM, and
• iii. determining the acidification profile of said isolated BIM in milk
• j. and selecting a BIM which
• i. when compared to the parent strain is insensitive to more bacteriophages as determined in d (i), and
• ii. when compared to the parent strain has an improved stability of the acquired bacteriophage resistance as determined in d(ii), and
• iii. has an acidification profile, as determined in d(iii), in milk which is at least comparable to or improved when compared to said parent strain.