Fermented Milk–Starch and Milk–Inulin Products as Vehicles for Lactic Acid Bacteria

Formulations using cassava starch or inulin plus milk were fermented with three different lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains: Lactobacillus plantarum D34, Lactobacillus sp. SLH6, and Streptococcus thermophilus ST4. Growth and acidification were followed in 3% powdered milk (M3), 3% milk–6% starch (M3-S6), and 3% milk–6% inulin (M3-In6). D34 and SLH6 growth was enhanced by starch in M3-S6, when compared to the count (CFU/ml) obtained in M3. Growth of all strains was promoted by inulin. All fermented products showed LAB counts of 8.0 log or higher. Carbohydrate utilization was in agreement with growth and acidification results. The highest increase in CFU in rat feces was observed in M3-S6 fermented with ST4; the D34 fermented product also increased CFU but SLH6 did not, either with starch or inulin. This suggests that ST4 and D34 strains provide a good choice to ferment the proposed formulations in order to obtain a marked improvement of natural intestinal flora.     

Drivers of Regional Efficiency Differentials in Italy: Technical Inefficiency or Allocative Distortions?

This paper estimates regional economic efficiency differentials at the firm level for the Italian manufacturing sector in the period 1998–2003. We implement an input distance‐function approach providing measures of both technical inefficiency and allocative distortions in the choice of input mixes. Our results confirm the substantial technical efficiency gap suffered by firms located in Southern regions, thus providing empirical support for the “structural and technological gap” interpretation of Italian dualism. On the other hand, the allocative distortions in the use of inputs show less‐remarkable regional differences. In terms of policy, our results suggest the need for a reallocation of public resources for development policies from business incentives to public investment.