Salicylic Acid: Food, Functions, and Future

Salicylic acid (SA), a ubiquitous plant metabolite with remarkable hydrogen bonding characteristics, has a rich past and a wide range of applications. The medicinal benefits of SA are well-established, having roots in the use of the world’s most popular drug, aspirin, and in the ancient willow bark remedies of Mesopotamia. This chapter discusses the background and specifics of foods high in salicylates and the intricate network of actions exhibited by SA has been explored. The use of SA in pharmaceutical and agri-food businesses has been meticulously studied. Through in-depth analysis, we uncover the mechanisms underlying SA’s impact on important fruit quality parameters such as such as respiration rate, weight loss, softening, chilling injury, color, and decay have been explored. The numerous biological activities of SA and foods high in it have been briefly discussed.