Conclusions
Full assessment of the probiotic effects of fermented sausages on human health is not possible yet. Although probiotic meat products are being marketed since 1998 by German and Japanese producers (Arihara, 2006), controversy about their usefulness remains,due to the preliminary nature of most scientific results obtained.Therefore, more research is needed to justify the launch of newprobiotics and of probiotic fermented sausages, in particular with respect to human studies. Importantly, this research should rigorously follow the guidelines formulated by the FAO/WHO (2002),including detailed identification of the strain and an approved beneficial health effect of the food product. Only such an approach will yield sufficient credibility needed to persuade producers, consumers,and policy makers of the intrinsic value of probiotic fermented meat products and contribute to the re-appreciation of meat products as healthy foods.