Methyl cinnamate, an active component of Zanthoxylum armatum, is a widely used natural flavor compound. Methyl cinnamate (Methyl 3-phenylpropenoate) possesses antimicrobial activity and is a tyrosinase inhibitor that can prevent food browning. Methyl cinnamate has antiadipogenic activity through mechanisms mediated, in part, by the CaMKK2-AMPK signaling pathway.