Growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus in De Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) broth medium with and without Jerusalem artichoke extract added at an increasing concentration of 2, 25, 50, 75, or 100%. Lactobacillus acidophilus grown in MRS broth medium with a standard amount of glucose served as a positive control. The glucose-free MRS medium with 100% of artichoke extract and without L. acidophilus served as negative control 1. The MRS medium free from both glucose and extract but with L. acidophilus served as negative control 2. The data points are the mean values of three replicates.

Growth of L. acidophilus in MRS broth medium with and without mushroom extract added at an increasing concentration of 2, 25, 50, 75, or 100%. Lactobacillus acidophilus grown in MRS broth medium with a standard amount of glucose served as a positive control. The glucose-free MRS medium with 100% of mushroom extract and without L. acidophilus served as negative control 1. The MRS medium free from both glucose and extract but with L. acidophilus served as negative control 2. The data points are the mean values of three replicates.

Growth of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus in MRS broth medium with and without artichoke extract added at an increasing concentration of 2, 25, 50, 75, or 100%. Lactobacillus acidophilus grown in MRS broth medium with a standard amount of glucose served as a positive control. The glucose-free MRS medium with 100% of artichoke extract and without L. acidophilus served as negative control 1. The MRS medium free from both glucose and extract but with L. acidophilus served as negative control 2. The data points are the mean values of three replicates.

Growth of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus in MRS broth medium with and without mushroom extract added at an increasing concentration of 2, 25, 50, 75, or 100%. Lactobacillus acidophilus grown in MRS broth medium with a standard amount of glucose served as a positive control. The glucose-free MRS medium with 100% of mushroom extract and without L. acidophilus served as negative control 1. The MRS medium free from both glucose and extract but with L. acidophilus served as negative control 2. The data points are the mean values of three replicates.

Comparison of the (A) specific growth rate (?max; h^?1), (B) doubling time (T_d; h), and (C) pH of the medium of L. acidophillus with that of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus grown in MRS medium containing 50% mushroom or 100% artichoke extract. Bars with different letters indicate a significant difference (p<0.05). Data are presented as mean±SE.

Effects of feeding various experimental diets for 120days on the relative expression of cyp19a gene in the ovary of zebrafish, normalized against ?-actin factor as reference gene. Bars with different letters indicate significant differences (p<0.05). Data are presented as mean±SE of three replicates. Diet 1 (control diet), Diet 2 (supplemented with 1% mushroom extract prepared from 50% concentrated extract), Diet 3 (supplemented with La at 10⁷CFUg^?1 of diet), Diet 4 (supplemented with Lb at 10⁷CFUg^?1 of diet), Diet 5 (supplemented with La at 10⁷CFUg^?1 of diet +1% mushroom extract prepared from 50% concentrated extract), Diet 6 (supplemented with Lb at 10⁷CFUg^?1 of diet +1% mushroom extract prepared from 50% concentrated extract), and Diet 7(supplemented with La and Lb, each at 10⁷CFUg^?1 of diet +1% mushroom extract prepared from 50% concentrated extract).