Figure 1.

Mean (±standard deviation) ratios of (A) Bifidobacterium spp., (B) Lactobacillus spp., (C) Firmicutes, and (D) Bacteroidetes levels after 24 h or 48 h of treatment of a simulated colonic microbiota with 5 g/L AADE (artichoke aqueous dry extract) or FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides) versus the initial levels (24 h/0 h or 48 h/0 h, respectively) as measured via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). For each microbial group and within each time point (24 or 48 h), a bar indicated with a different letter (a, b, or c) indicates a statistical difference between AADE, FOS, and/or the blank at a given time point, as tested with a two-way ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey test (p < 0.05). In contrast, when at least one letter is shared between two bars, there was no significant between these treatments.