The product, sold under the name Dr. Nutri MelaMate, is said to be an alternative to synthetic melatonin.
The melatonin comes from the pistachio extract commercially available as Prosomnial by raw material supplier IMCD’s Network Nutrition.
Each tablet contains 1mg of melatonin, with recommended intake of one to two tablets per day.
The product contains six other ingredients, namely tart cherry, GABA, tryptophan, fermented rice powder, passionflower extract powder, and kombucha.
It is currently sold online at the firm’s official mall CJ The Market and on Naver, though there are plans to sell it in Olive Young and B Mart, said the firm.
In South Korea, melatonin is classified as a medicine and not for use in health functional foods (HFF). As such, plant-based melatonin is used in HFF. Examples include Esther Formula and Green Store, where both brands also use Prosomnial in their products.
Melatonin has been reported in pistachios and nuts such as walnuts.
A study published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis in 2022 showed that raw nuts have significantly higher amounts of melatonin than those that had undergone processing.
In that study, melatonin was found to be highest in walnut, followed by chestnut, almond, pine nut, pistachio, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, hazelnut, macadamia nut. The content is lowest in peanut, cashew nut, and Brazilian nut.
Plant-based protein
CJ Wellcare also launched a plant-based protein earlier on, which it said had hit about three billion won in sales three months since its launch.
The product, launched in April, comes in rice and chestnut flavour. One million units have been sold since.
It was developed by CJ CheilJedang’s food in-house venture program INNO100.
A reason for its popularity lies in its taste, according to the firm, as the it sought to “minimise the rough and bitter taste typical of protein drinks with the use of fragrant rice and sweet chestnuts”.
“We are receiving a good response because the familiar taste allows consumers who are unfamiliar with protein drinks to drink it without any resistance,” said Yoon Jae-Kwon, team leader at CJ CheilJedang’s Altive team.
“We will continue to introduce delicious plant-based drinks and desserts that meet consumer needs,” he added.
