Food intake is a major way for the body to obtain materials, energy, and information from the external environment. Food and medicine homology (FMH) substances as food not only contain abundant nutrients, but also carry various bioactive components to promote human health. The special functional factors derived from FMH substances under specific environmental conditions can significantly impact the body’s adaptability. Understanding the complex relationships among environment, FMH substances, and organisms, including the active components of FMH under different environments and their influence on the mechanisms of adaptation to extreme environments, is critical. In this review, the effects of environmental factors on the content and structure of the active components in FMH were comprehensively summarized and discussed, also the effects of FMH on the adaptation of the body to extreme environments. Furthermore, the insights into potential future research directions in the field of FMH and environmental adaptation were provided. This review summarizes the effects of FMH on the body from an environmental perspective and offers new references and insights for the development of FMH.

Russula vinosa Lindblad is a traditional food and medicine resource with potential application in the field of functional foods, which is rich in polyphenolic compounds. In this study, the R. vinosa Lindblad was mixed fermented with Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacillus lactis and the antioxidant activity, composition and application in functional bread of the ethanol extract of the mixed bacterial fermentation product (EMFP) were investigated. The results showed that after fermentation, 186 new compounds appeared in EMFP, including organic acids and phenolic acids. The addition of EMFP significantly enhanced the quality and antioxidant activity of the bread, including reduction of hardness and chewiness, enhancement of resilience, and improvement of free radical scavenging activity and total reducing power. Furthermore, the EMFP addition affected color, odor, and texture indicators of the bread, and negatively affected at higher additions. 0.5% EMFP addition might be appropriate to positively affect the quality, sensory evaluation, and antioxidant activity of the bread. This study investigated the positive effects of mixed fermentation on the active ingredients of the R. vinosa Lindblad, providing a reference for the practical application of EMFP in the field of functional foods.

Chinese yam (Dioscorea opposita Thunb.), as one of the medicinal and edible homologous plants, is rich in various nutrients and functional factors. In this study, Chinese yam fermented by Saccharomyces boulardii was performed to investigate its bioactive components and metabolic profile. And then, the main bioactive components and biological activities of fermented Chinese yam ethanol extract (FCYE) were evaluated. Results showed that there were 49 up-regulated metabolites and 52 down-regulated metabolites in fermented Chinese yam compared to unfermented Chinese yam. Besides, corresponding metabolic pathways analysis initially revealed that the distribution of bioactive substances was concentrated on alcohol-soluble small molecular substances. Ulteriorly, the total polyphenol content and the total flavonoid content in FCYE were significantly increased, and the corresponding antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities in vitro were also significantly enhanced. Our study provided a new reference for the comprehensive utilization of Chinese yam and laid a theoretical foundation for the development and application of natural probiotic-fermented products.