Used primarily in biochemical and microbiological research as a substrate for enzyme assays, particularly for detecting esterase activity. When esterases act on it, the compound is hydrolyzed to produce an insoluble blue dye, which helps in visualizing enzyme activity in gel electrophoresis or histochemical staining. It is also employed in plant tissue culture studies to monitor cell viability and differentiation, as the enzymatic conversion provides a clear visual indicator of metabolic processes. Additionally, it serves as a reagent in molecular biology for detecting specific enzymatic reactions in various experimental setups.