3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid is a kind of organic acid that naturally exists in the leaves of black fern, Holly, and other plants as well as in foods such as nuts and vegetables. It is the precursor of complex molecules such as synthetic anthocyanins and has a variety of biological activities. It is often used in medicine, food, the chemical industry, and other fields. It has antibacterial effect on Shigella, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and so on.
3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid is generally white to brown crystalline powder, exposed in the air and will change color, in boiling water can occur decomposition and release carbon dioxide, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid solution in the presence of ferric chloride is green, in the presence of sodium bicarbonate is red.
In the process of application, we found that the heat treatment of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid does not influence its antibacterial activity. When added to muscle foods, it can not only prevent campylobacter contamination but also prevent lipid oxidation.
3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid has many effects, it can also promote the apoptosis of liver, lung, breast, cervical, and other cancer cells, to delay the invasion of tumor cells and metabolism has an important role. In addition, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid can protect or hinder oxidative damage and weaken oxidative stress in vivo. In animal experiments, it is also found that 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid can reduce the content of glutathione, catalase, glutathione, glycine peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase, to alleviate the necrosis or bleeding of myocardial tissue.