Nowadays, vegan consumers demand that food products have more and more properties that contribute to the prevention of some diseases, such as lower fat content, increased mineral content (calcium, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus), pleasant flavor, and low calorie values. Therefore, the beverage industry has tried to offer consumers products that include probiotics, prebiotics, or symbiotics with improved flavor and appearance and beneficial effects on health. The possibility of producing beverages based on soy milk with sea buckthorn syrup or sea buckthorn powder supplemented with inulin and fermented with the Lactobacillus casei ssp. paracasei strain was examined. The aim of this study was to obtain a novel symbiotic product that exploits the bioactive potential of sea buckthorn fruits. Tests were carried out in the laboratory phase by fermenting soy milk, to which was added sea buckthorn syrup (20%) or sea buckthorn powder (3%) and inulin in proportions of 1% and 3%, with temperature variation of fermentation (30 and 37 °C). During the fermentation period, the survivability of prebiotic bacteria, pH, and titratable acidity were measured. The storage time of beverages at 4 °C ± 1 °C was 14 days, and the probiotic viability, pH, titratable acidity, and water holding capacity were determined. Novel symbiotic beverages based on sea buckthorn syrup or powder, inulin, and soy milk were successfully obtained using the Lactobacillus casei ssp. paracasei strain as a starter culture. Moreover, the inulin added to the novel symbiotic beverage offered microbiological safety and excellent sensory attributes as well.

Enterococci cause infections with various localizations, the most common being urinary infections. The purpose of the study was to identify the profile of the antimicrobial resistance of enterococci species (AMRE) isolated from patients hospitalized in three hospitals in Romania. We evaluated AMRE retrospectively (2019–2021) in various biological samples. The microbiological diagnosis was sustained by classical methods of bacteria culture and automatic identification. The sensitivity testing was performed by the Kirby–Bauer method, and the antibiotic minimum inhibitory concentration was tested by the automated Vitek system. We analyzed 86 strains of Enterococcus spp., identifying the following species: 47.7% E. faecalis, 47.7% E. faecium, 3.55% E. gallinarum, and 1% E. hirae. Most of the bacterial strains were isolated from urocultures (38.4%) and hemocultures (32.6%). Overall, the rate of vancomycin resistance was 5.8% for E. faecalis and 15.1%. for E. faecium. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains was found to be 100% in E. gallinarum, 75.6% in E. faecium, and 21.9% in E. faecalis. The results confirm the high level of AMRE, which creates difficulties with adequate antibiotic prescriptions. The continuous monitoring of AMRE is essential for updating the local diagnostic and treatment protocols for enterococcal infections.