What is glyoxylic acid used for

Glyoxylic acid, also known as glycinic acid or casein, is a common organic acid, easily decomposed into formic acid and ethanol, can be widely used in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and other fields. However, the mystery of glyoxylic acid is far more than that, it also hides many unknown magical properties.
Chemical properties of glyoxylic acid
Glyoxylic acid is composed of a methyl carbonyl group and a hydroxyl acid group, and has a very strong hydrophilicity. Glyoxylic acid dissociates naturally in water to form an acid ion and a proton with the formula CH3COO- + H+.

In addition, glyoxylic acid can be added to other groups under appropriate conditions to form compounds with specific biological activities, such as esterification, condensation, alkylation, etc., which is one of the reasons why glyoxylic acid is widely used.
Application of glyoxylic acid in different fields
1. Food field
Glyoxylic acid is a kind of acid agent widely used in food field, which can be used for seasoning and quality protection of food such as condiments, cans, drinks and dairy products.
At the same time, glyoxylic acid also has antibacterial and bacteriostatic effects, which can slow down the growth of bacteria in food and maintain the fresh taste of food. In recent years, the application of glyoxylic acid has become more and more diversified, such as for nutrition enhancers, health products, biological enzyme preparations and so on.
2. Pharmaceutical field
Glyoxylic acid or its derivatives are widely used in the pharmaceutical field, such as esterification to produce anti-inflammatory ingredients in sterile eye drops, cough painkillers, oral medicines, injections, disinfectants, etc.
3. Cosmetics
In cosmetics, glyoxylic acid can not only be used as a purification regulator, but also has the function of regulating skin pH, antibacterial, moisturizing and oil control. In addition, glyoxylic acid can also be used to remove stains, acne and cuticle, promoting skin renewal.
Glyoxylic Acid finds application in personal care as neutralizing agent, it is widely used in hair straightening products in particular (shampoos, conditioners, lotions, creams) at levels of 0.5-10%. Glyoxylic acid or oxoacetic acid is an organic compound that is both an aldehyde and a carboxylic acid.
4. Field of biological sciences
Glyoxylic acid has a wide range of applications in the life sciences, such as DNA/RNA extraction, protein modification and crystallization, and sugar oxidation. Among them, DNA/RNA extraction is the most widely used field of glyoxylic acid, glyoxylic acid mixed with isopropyl alcohol/chloroform will form DNA/RNA precipitation, so as to extract the nucleic acid in the sample, is one of the most commonly used nucleic acid extraction methods.

Glyoxylic acid, as a compound widely used in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and life science fields, can not only provide acid agent, but also have antibacterial, pollution reduction, antibacterial and other functions, but also in the field of biology to explore glyoxylic acid more extensive application prospects.