In this study, taro waste (TW) was utilized for Lactobacillus acidophilus BCRC 14079 cultivation and the anti-tumor and immune-modulatory properties of heat-killed cells (HKCs), cytoplasmic fraction (CF), and exopolysaccharide (EPS) were evaluated. The optimum liquefaction enzyme dosage, temperature, and time determined by Box-Behnken design response surface methodology (BBD-RSM) were 9 mL/L of alpha-amylase, 79.2 A degrees C, and 5 h of reaction, respectively. The optimum temperature and reaction time for saccharification were determined as 60 A degrees C and 3 h. The optimum medium, CGMY1 medium, constitutes of TW hydrolysate containing 37 g/L of glucose, 25 g/L of corn gluten meal (CGM), and 1 g/L of yeast extract (YE). Results of MTT assay showed that HKCs and EPS from CGM medium exhibited the highest anti-proliferative in HT-29 (IC50 of HKCs, 467.25 mu g/mL; EPS, 716.10 mu g/mL) and in Caco-2 cells (IC50 of EPS, 741.60 mu g/mL). Luciferase-based NF-B-Ie and COX-2 systems indicated HKCs from CGM medium stimulated the highest expression of luciferin in both systems. The luciferase activities by using 100 and 500 mu g/mL of HKCs from CGM were 24.30- and 45.83-fold in NF-B-Ie system and 11.54- and 4.93-fold in COX-2 system higher than the control. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the potential of TW medium for L. acidophilus cultivation and the production of non-viable probiotics with enhanced biological activities.