The name reuterin is derived from Lactobacillus reuteri, which produces the compound biosynthetically from glycerol as a broad-spectrum antibiotic (bacteriocin).

[1] L. reuteri itself is named after the microbiologist Gerhard Reuter, who did early work in distinguishing it as a distinct species.

This reaction, when conducted in the gas-phase, was the basis for a now obsolete industrial route acrolein:[5] Presently 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde is an intermediate in the production of pentaerythritol.

[7] Reuterin is water-soluble, effective in a wide range of pH, resistant to proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes, and has been studied as a food preservative or auxiliary therapeutic agent.

[8][9][10] Reuterin as an extracted compound has been shown capable of killing Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes, with the addition of lactic acid increasing its efficacy.