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A crescente preocupação dos consumidores em conhecer as características dos alimentos que consomem tem conduzido ao desenvolvimento de produtos que promovem a saúde e o bemestar, além de sua função de nutrição (TYÖPPÖNEN; PETÄJÄ; MATTILA-SANDHOLM, 2003). Esses alimentos que geram efeitos benéficos à saúde humana, aliados à ação nutricional são denominados funcionais. Seu efeito deve-se à adição de ingredientes ativos à remoção ou substituição de substâncias indesejáveis em sua composição (ERKKILÄ et al., 2001b).Os probióticos são definidos como microrganismos vivos capazes de melhorar o equilíbrio microbiano intestinal produzindo efeitos benéficos à saúde do indivíduo (BRASIL, 2002). Segundo Leroy, Verluyten e Vuyst (2006) e Ammor e Mayo (2007), os probióticos necessitam ser ingeridos em quantidades suficientes para exercerem efeito benéfico sobre a fisiologia e saúde do hospedeiro. Ao consumo de probióticos estão associados vários efeitos benéficos à saúde, como o melhor trânsito intestinal dos alimentos, facilitando a digestão, o alívio dos sintomas de intolerância à lactose, aumento da resposta imune, redução dos episódios de diarréia, prevenção ou supressão de câncer de cólon e redução do colesterol sangüíneo (HEENAN et al., 2002). AbstractProbiotic Lactobacillus strains have been widely used in dairy products. Recently, attention has been directed to the use of probiotics in meat products, mainly in fermented sausages. The effect of the utilization of Lactobacillus casei, L. paracasei and L. rhamnosus strains on physicalchemical, microbiological and sensory quality of fermented sausage was evaluated. The sausages were processed in four batches: one was used as the control, while the other three batches received one of the probiotic strains each. The manufacturing procedure described for Italian salami with 25 days of fermentation and ripening was followed. The presence of probiotic Lactobacillus resulted in a faster pH decrease, which affected the taste of the probiotic sausages. There was an increase in acid notes, mostly in the sausage containing L. rhamnosus. The lactobacilli strains also decreased the growth of Staphylococcus xylosus; however, they did not affect the number of Pediococcus pentosaceus and the acceptability of the sausages in the sensory evaluation. All Lactobacillus strains showed an increase in viable cell count during manufacturing and this parameter remained high until the end of ripening. The viability of the utilization of probiotic Lactobacillus, especially L. paracasei and L. casei, in fermented sausage, maintaining the quality characteristics of the product, was demonstrated. Keywords: probiotic; Lactobacillus paracasei; Lactobacillus casei; Lactobacillus rhamnosus; fermented sausage. ResumoOs probióticos têm sido largamente utilizados em produtos lácteos. Recentemente, seu uso em produtos cárneos tem despertado interesse, principalmente em embutidos fermentados consumidos na forma crua e sem aquecimento prévio. Verificou-se a influência da utilização de Lactobacillus casei, L. ...

1. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter strains (C. jejuni, C. coli and C. lari) isolated from broiler carcasses processed in the State of Paraná, Brazil. 2. Rates of microbial resistance and susceptibility were assessed by both Disk Diffusion (DD) and Etest (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) techniques. Antibiotics were tested using DD (12 antibiotics) and/or MIC (7 antibiotics) methods. 3. A total of 95.8% of the strains were resistant to at least two agents. In terms of multidrug resistance, 75% of strains were resistant to three or more groups of antibiotics. The highest rates of resistance were detected for cefalotin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and nalidixic acid. A high rate of susceptibility of the strains to erythromycin (95.8%) was found confirming that this is considered the agent of choice for treating campylobacteriosis. Comparison of the microbial resistance and susceptibility, as determined simultaneously by the two methods, found the techniques to be statistically equivalent for 5 out of the 6 antibiotics tested. 4. The results of this study suggest the need for adopting measures to control the use of antibiotics in broiler production to prevent multidrug resistance of Campylobacter strains and reduce the risk of serious human diseases caused by the consumption of contaminated chicken meat.