Melatonin dietary supplements are widely consumed worldwide, with developed countries as the largest consumers, with an estimated annual growth rate of approximately 10% until 2027, mainly in developing countries. The wide use of melatonin against sleep disorders and particular problems, such as jet lag, has been added to other applications, such as anti-aging, anti-stress, immune system activation, anticancer, and others, which have triggered its use, normally without a prescription. The chemical industry currently covers 100% of the needs of the melatonin market. Motivated by sectors with more natural consumption habits, a few years ago, the possibility of obtaining melatonin from plants, called phytomelatonin, arose. More recently, the pharmaceutical industry has developed genetically modified microorganisms whose ability to produce biological melatonin in bioreactors has been enhanced. This paper reviews the aspects of the chemical and biological synthesis of melatonin for human consumption, mainly as dietary supplements. The pros and cons of obtaining melatonin from microorganisms and phytomelatonin from plants and algae are analyzed, as well as the advantages of natural melatonin, avoiding unwanted chemical by-products from the chemical synthesis of melatonin. Finally, the economic and quality aspects of these new products, some of which are already marketed, are analyzed.

In these times and with the pace of life that we have developed, many people need help falling asleep due to poor sleep hygiene, among other reasons. Thus, in mild cases, it is recommended to use natural therapies, such as phytotherapy, avoiding in the first instance the use of drugs. Melatonin is considered a versatile molecule widely used today. It is included as a main ingredient in dietary supplements that are, in some cases, accompanied by medicinal plants as botanical mixes, generating beneficial products for sleep disorders among other conditions. The dietary phytotherapeutic supplements evaluated in this work contain various concentrations of melatonin and other products, resulting in different effects on sleep therapy. The aim of this work is to reveal the quantitative differences that exist between the melatonin contents labeled in the products and those analyzed. The degradation rate of this hormone at three years in the phytotherapeutic supplements is also studied in order to re-evaluate the expiration dates of these products. In conclusion, the mixture between synthetic melatonin and different botanical mixes is very common in the supplements studied here and aimed at improving sleep. However, the most natural thing would be to be able to use only plants with sufficient phytomelatonin content to eliminate the inclusion of chemically synthesized melatonin in preparation. We propose the use of a particular raw plant material with excellent characteristics for this purpose.

In these times and with the pace of life we have developed, many people need help falling asleep due to poor sleep hygiene, among other reasons. Thus, in mild cases, it is recommended to use natural therapies, such as phytotherapy, avoiding in the first instance the use of drugs. Melatonin is considered a versatile molecule widely used today. It is included as a main ingredient in dietary supplements that are, in some cases, accompanied by medicinal plants as botanical mix, generating beneficial products for sleep disorders among other conditions. The dietary phytotherapeutic supplements evaluated in this work contain various concentrations of melatonin and other products, resulting in different effects on sleep therapy. The aim of this work is to reveal the quantitative differences that exist between the melatonin contents labeled in the products and those analyzed. The degradation rate of this hormone at three years in the phytotherapeutic supplements is also studied, in order to re-evaluate the expiration dates of these products. As conclusion, the mixture between synthetic melatonin and different botanical mix is very common in the supplements studied here and aimed at improving sleep. However, the most natural thing would be to be able to use only plants with sufficient phytomelatonin content to eliminate the inclusion of chemically synthesized melatonin in the preparations. We propose the use of a particular raw plant material with excellent characteristics for this purpose.