Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Food Science Technology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1532092
This article is part of the Research Topic Modern Analytical Techniques, Big Data and Sensors in Food Science and Nutrition Research View all 5 articles

Detection of Melatonin and 5-HTP in Dietary Supplements Based on Multiple Spectra

Provisionally accepted
Huiyu Yang Huiyu Yang 1,2,3,4Xinrui Zhang Xinrui Zhang 1,2,3,4Yang Gao Yang Gao 1,2,3,4Zhuang Peng Zhuang Peng 1,2,3,4Bo Su Bo Su 1,2,3,4*Kai Li Kai Li 1,5Cunlin Zhang Cunlin Zhang 1,2,3,4
  • 1 Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
  • 2 Department of Physics, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
  • 3 Beijing Key Laboratory for Terahertz Spectra and Imaging, Beijing, China
  • 4 Key Laboratory of Terahertz Optoelectronics, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China, Beijing, China
  • 5 Department of Chemistry, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Melatonin and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), known for benefits in regulating sleep and combating depression, respectively, are incorporated into dietary supplements. Rapid and accurate identification of dietary supplement types and their contents remains a significant challenge in ensuring food safety. In this study, qualitative and quantitative analysis of melatonin and 5-HTP was performed using Raman spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). Purity and crystal structures of the samples were investigated using Raman spectroscopy and PXRD, establishing the foundation for terahertz (THz) simulations. The characteristic Raman peaks of melatonin and 5-HTP in the spectral range from 170 cm -1 to 1700 cm -1 were observed at 1356 cm -1 and 1304 cm -1 , respectively. Results of THz revealed that melatonin and 5-HTP each have five THz characteristic peaks, which distinguish these substances. The peak of melatonin at 1.23 THz shows a good linear fit with the mass fraction, while 5-HTP has a similar relationship at 1.14 THz. Then, Ltryptophan, a common contaminant in the production of melatonin and 5-HTP, was successfully identified within the mixture. Finally, it is demonstrated that THz technology can effectively detect melatonin and 5-HTP in commercial dietary supplements. This study establishes a rapid, efficient, and non-destructive approach for the regulation and quantitative analysis of dietary supplements.

    Keywords: Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, Melatonin, L-tryptophan, 5hydroxytryptophan, Dietary Supplements

    Received: 21 Nov 2024; Accepted: 14 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Zhang, Gao, Peng, Su, Li and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Bo Su, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.