Probiotics, their action and ways of animal production

Abstract

The use of antimicrobials in animal production has proven ability to improve animal performance, but the use of these additives has been restricted due to the possibility of leaving residues in meat, and induction of cross-resistance to pathogenic bacteria in humans. Preparing to meet the consumer market that increasingly demand safe and quality foods, have sought alternatives to antibiotic use among these probiotics, live microorganisms administered in adequate amounts which confer health benefits to the host, and many mechanisms are suggested on the mode of action of probiotics, among them competition for binding sites or competitive exclusion, stimulating the immune system, nutritional effect, production of antibacterial substances and enzymes. It has also been studied another very important aspect, the viability of the probiotic micro-organisms used in animal production, ie the importance of assessing the viability of micro-organisms is an essential condition for the action that probiotics can have on body or if the inactivation process reduces or inhibits this action