Detection and quantification of the antioxidant melatonin in montmorency and balaton tart cherries (Prunus cerasus)

The antioxidant melatonin was recently identified in a variety of edible pl ants and seeds in high concentrations. In plants, as in animals, melatonin is believed to function as a free radical scavenger and possibly in photope riodism. In this study, melatonin was detected and quantified in fresh-froz en Balaton and Montmorency tart cherries (Prunus cerasus) using high-perfor mance liquid chromatography. Both cherry species contain high levels of mel atonin compared to the melatonin concentrations in the blood of mammals. Mo ntmorency cherries (13.46 +/- 1.10 ng/g) contain similar to6 times more mel atonin than do Balaton cherries (2.06 +/- 0.17 ng/g). Neither the orchard o f origin nor the time of harvest influenced the amount of melatonin in fres h cherries. The implication of the current findings is that consuming cherr ies could be an important source of dietary melatonin inasmuch as melatonin is readily absorbed when taken orally. Also, previously published data and the results presented here show that melatonin is not only endogenously pr oduced but also present in the diet.