Single crystal of p-Toluidinium L-Tartrate (PTLT) was harvested via slow solvent evaporation technique. The grown PTLT crystal has a triclinic structure, P1 space group. Functional groups were affirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy. The absorption coefficient (α), energy bandgap, and linear refractive index (n0) were estimated from the UV-Vis-NIR spectrum. A broad emission band observed at 350 nm in the luminescence spectrum of PTLT, corresponds to violet light emission. The dielectric constant and loss were determined by varying the frequency and temperature. The mechanical parameters were determined by the micro-indentation test for various loads. The SHG efficiency of the compound was measured by the powder Kurtz-Perry method. The NLO parameters n2 (1.731 × 10‒9 cm2W−1), β (0.079 × 10‒4 cm W−1), and χ(3) (9.05 × 10‒7 esu) were determined by the Z-scan method. In addition, antibacterial activity was carried out against selected foodborne pathogens for pharmaceutical applications. © 2020