Used in the study of lignin biosynthesis, sinapyl alcohol serves as a monomer in the formation of syringyl lignin units in plant cell walls. It is employed in biochemical research to understand lignification processes and cell wall structure in plants. Due to its role in lignin polymerization, it is also investigated for applications in bioenergy, particularly in modifying lignin content in biomass to improve enzymatic saccharification for biofuel production. Additionally, sinapyl alcohol is used as a reference compound in analytical studies of plant metabolites and phenolic profiling.